Shed Your Skin  Over The Waves
by chi-chi-chimera
Summary: An ATLA Shapeshifter!AU. Selkies and Dragons and Badger-Moles oh my.
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** Shed Your Skin – Over The Waves (1/?)

**Rating:** PG

**Word Count:** 4149

**Pairings: **Zuko/Sokka undertones, canon pairings (Sokka/Yue, etc)

**Warnings:** Only those which would apply to the actual show (genocide, war, etc.)

**Summary: **An Avatar Shapeshifter AU.

**Author's Note: **Will have various AU diversions from the canon S1 plot. Also, this is the first time I've done and AU which involves rewritting the plot of the canon, so take things I've missed out of episodes as having happened pretty much as they did in canon. Obviously it would be pretty boring if I had to write out _everything_ again...

**Chapter One**

The pale eye of the sun looked out over a placid sea, shining from the sides of icebergs and old snow. The polar waste was silent and cold, seeming at first as if no life could survive there. A closer look however soon revealed otter-penguins diving from the high ice cliffs, tiger-seals lying silent on the sea floor, and the small dark shape of a canoe sitting on the calm water.

"I think we're near where the fish run now," one of the people inside the canoe said, peering over the side into the depths. He was a boy of about fifteen, the sides of his head shaved and the rest of his hair pulled up into the wolf-tail of a Water Tribe warrior. "Do you think you can use your freaky water magic to keep us steady?"

The other, a girl a few years younger than her brother, snorted, crossing her arms. "It's _waterbending,_ Sokka. And I'm not going to need to do anything – there's no wind."

"Remind me why you're here again Katara?" the boy said, beginning to strip out of his furs. "I could be catching fish by myself, I don't need a babysitter, especially not my little sister."

"I'm here to stop you loosing another canoe, and to practise my waterbending. Hama said I had a lot of talent, but I need to learn how to use it in the real world if I'm ever going to become a master!"

"Yeah, whatever," Sokka said, rolling his eyes. He was naked now, aside from a short loincloth, but the freezing temperatures seemed to be having no effect on him. He picked up a grey pelt that had been tucked into the floor of the canoe and wrapped it around himself. The change was sudden and almost seamless. Where a human boy had been standing, there was now the sleek form of a seal. With a sinuous movement, he was over the side and diving into the waters with hardly a splash.

While her brother fished, periodically coming up to deposit his catch into the canoe, Katara practised streaming water from a globe into a whip and then into various other shapes that caught the pale light and sparkled in the air. Then she split the water and froze it into dozens of deadly, icy needles, sending them shooting out fifty feet before they splashed back into the sea.

Finally Sokka pulled himself back over the side, nudging Katara playfully. She laughed and dumped water over his head in retaliation. If seals could look aggravated, Sokka would have. He shed his pelt and was just opening his mouth to say something when the whole canoe shuddered and leapt forward. The pair had to clutch on to one another for balance, and Sokka nearly fell into the pile of fish.

"Katara, do something!"

"I'm trying!" The current had caught them unexpectedly, and her waterbending simply wasn't skilled enough yet to pull them out of it. Each time she tried the canoe bucked even more and threatened to break apart from the strain she was putting it under. They were moving faster than ever now, and the broken ice was starting to get thicker, big chunks of it coming threateningly close on all sides.

Sokka grabbed the paddle and began digging it in the water. "If you can't get us out, then help me steer," he shouted.

Immediately grasping his meaning Katara started to work with the current, using it to push them away from the worst of the danger. For a moment she thought they would make it through the ice field unscathed, but then she saw how the ice was being pushed together directly in their path. It was going to crush them and there was nothing she could do. Grabbing her own pelt and stuffing it down the front of her parka, she leapt forwards and grabbed hold of her brother.

"We'll have to jump," she said, "now, before it's too late."

The ice was upon them, bearing down on the sides of the canoe with a horrible crunch. They were sent flying through the air, and Sokka let out a cry of pain as they thudded onto the solid surface. Katara gasped and twisted to look at him. He was curled up, clutching his pelt to his bare skin with one hand, and cradling his leg with the other.

"My foot," he said through gritted teeth. "The ice caught it for a second."

Katara scrambled over to him, picking up a handful of water without even thinking about it and running it over his foot. She worried her lip between her teeth.

"I think it might be broken," she said. "And... I'm sorry Sokka, I don't know how to fix it. Hama only taught me the basics, she said I wasn't old enough..."

"It's okay," her brother said. His eyes were screwed tight shut, and he was obviously trying not to let her know how bad the pain was. He didn't need to; she could see it in the warped and discoloured lines of his chi.

"It's not okay! I should be able to fix you," Katara said, getting to her feet and gesturing wildly at the broad expanse of ocean all around them. "How are we going to get home if you can't swim? This is all my fault. If I had been paying attention, that current would never have caught us, and you would never have gotten hurt!" Each word was punctuated with angry motions of her hands, and behind her the water began to move with her, raising itself in choppy motions.

"Uh, Katara?" Sokka said, opening his eyes. "Really, it's not that bad. You should, uh, probably calm down a bit."

It was too late. The nearby iceberg had already started to crack, and as Katara threw up her hands for the last time, it broke apart with a deafening sound of splintering ice. Katara spun around to see a wave of displaced water come rushing towards them, her eyes widening. She flung herself down, wrapping her arms around Sokka and bending a hurried loop of ice over them to hold them down. The sea washed over them, cold as the depths of polar night, before receding once more. Katara raised her head. Where the iceberg had been, a massive sphere of ice rocked gently back and forth. And it was glowing.

* * *

><p>"It's okay Sokka, don't try to get up." The voice seemed to be coming from a long way away, but it was very familiar. Sokka opened his eyes, blinking away the darkness, and tried to focus. The roof of the tent above him was blurry, and the woman leaning over him even more so, but he recognised the sweet smell of burning herbs and the soft musical notes of the hanging ivory carvings knocking together.<p>

"Hama," he said, surprised at how weak his voice came out. "What happened?"

"Well first you broke half the bones in your foot, and then your foolish waterbender sister nearly gave you hypothermia getting that boy out of the ice. Even a selkie can only take so much cold without their pelt on."

"Boy? What boy?" He tried to raise himself into a sitting position, but a sudden stab of pain made him collapse back down with a yelp.

"Don't worry about that now. The bones have been set and I've started the healing process, but there is only so much waterbending can do. You need to rest."

"But... Hama," Sokka said, knowing he sounded like he was whining.

"No." Hama's fingers flicked him painfully over the nose, and then the soft glow of her healing power was doing its work again, sending him softly off to sleep. He dreamed of cutting through the water, his father big and powerful beside him, showing him how to catch fish and the best way to lure the polar wolf-bear too close to their breathing holes before they shed their skins and picked up their spears. Playing ice-ball with his little sister, their mother watching on and keeping them safe. Hiding under the ice from Fire Nation patrols. It was a long time before he woke up again.

* * *

><p>It didn't surprise him that of all the peoples not yet conquered by the Fire Nation, the Avatar had chosen the Water Tribes to hide with. The Seal People were notoriously hard to fight. Zuko had been at sea long enough to hear the sailor's stories of beautiful men and women who lured the unwary out onto thin ice where they fell through into the deadly waters below and of searching for enemy waterbenders only to find whole villages deserted, their inhabitants long disappeared beneath the waves. Luckily for him, Lieutenant Jee had been on numerous campaigns in the Southern Seas before his unwise tongue had landed him on this crew of rejects. He knew how to catch seals.<p>

* * *

><p>"No, Gran-Gran, I can't. I'm not going to leave Sokka behind."<p>

Most of the tribe had already changed and slipped away through the tunnels in the ice, mothers shepherding their children along, supporting them through the long swim. Only Katara, Gran-Gran, Hama and Sokka remained, and Sokka still wasn't yet healed enough to be able to make it.

"I know you care greatly for your brother, Katara, but we cannot take the chance that a patrol was close enough to see that flare. Hama will be able to hide and protect your brother."

"Gran-Gran... I'm sorry, but I'm not going anywhere. Even if I don't know as much as Hama yet, she's been teaching me a lot. I can fight. I'm not helpless!"

"I never said you were." Kanna sighed, and stepped forward to envelop her grand-daughter in her arms. "I'm not going to force you to run away, my little water-bender. I know you have to do what you think is right."

Katara smiled "Thanks Gran-Gran. Don't worry. I'll be fine."

* * *

><p>Sokka was woken this time by the ice beneath his furs shuddering. He scrambled upright, managing to avoid putting any weight on his injured foot, eyes wide. There were weird metallic noises coming from outside, a long drawn-out hiss like an ice-rattler and then a massive thump of something really heavy hitting the ground. He hopped over to the doorway and pushed the furs aside, peering out. There was a big dark shape half-shrouded in fog to the sea-ward side of the village. He gulped. Fire Nation.<p>

He didn't have time to look for much longer before he was pulled away by someone's hand on the back of his parka. It was Hama, and for the first time that he could remember she looked worried.

"Your sister is still out there somewhere," she said quietly. "She was getting more fuel for the fire when they arrived."

"She'll be okay though, right? I mean, if they find her, she can just change and swim away."

Hama didn't reply, but the thin set of her lips didn't seem like a good sign. Sokka sat back down on his furs with a clumsy thump.

"Why are these guys even here anyway? It's been years since the last Fire Nation raid this far south. We're too small for them to bother with, and they don't know we have any waterbenders left."

"It's that Airbender boy your sister found, frozen in the ice with his great furry beast. They went out to the old ship together, and he set off a signal flare."

"An Airbender? What? And a flare? You mean on purpose?"

Hama shrugged. She didn't seem too keen on giving him any real answers. She took up a position by the entrance to keep an eye on whatever was happening. Sokka fidgeted, wanting to do something, but knowing he could hardly walk on his own. He was meant to be a warrior and he couldn't even fight. Couldn't protect his little sister, wherever she was.

"Search the huts!" someone shouted outside. "The Avatar must be here somewhere – the Airbenders were never shapeshifters."

"Be careful," someone else added. "They would have left more than this pup to defend him."

It felt like Sokka's blood had turned to ice. "Katara," he said, pushing himself to his feet again. "I have to go help her!"

"No," Hama said, barring his way with her outstretched arm. "You are in no condition to take on trained firebenders. We will wait until they have split their forces, and then I will rescue your sister." Her eyes narrowed. Sokka didn't like it, but he knew she made sense. They had to be sneaky.

As it turned out, they didn't get much of a chance to be sneaky at all. As the soldiers began to spread out, there was a sudden commotion, and the noise of fighting. Sokka pushed forwards trying to see what was going on.

It was a boy, dressed in orange and yellow and armed with a staff. He was facing off against a Fire Nation teenager with a ponytail, matching bursts of air to his of fire. Katara was standing off to the side, being held still by some middle-aged guy with a knife to her throat and her pelt in his other hand. Sokka ground his teeth together, wanting to get out there and show that bastard what the Water Tribe could do.

The kid was saying something to the teenager, looking over at Katara. Obviously they liked what they heard, because the man let her go, pushing her forward and tossing her pelt to her. The teenager, who seemed to be in charge, called something to the other soldiers, and a pair of them grabbed the Airbender and pushed him in the direction of his ship. He didn't fight.

_You have a lot of explaining to do Katara,_ Sokka thought to himself angrily as she watched them leave, looking like she might cry. _I've missed a lot while I was sleeping._

* * *

><p>The ship was small and cramped on the inside, and smelt of metal and smoke. The soldiers didn't push him around, but he could feel their eyes on him. They sure were being careful. Maybe they had never seen an Airbender before either, just like Katara's village hadn't. Maybe they didn't know what he could do. Maybe it wouldn't be so hard for him to escape after all.<p>

Aang really didn't know what to think of these guys. The last time he had been in the Fire Nation, Kuzon had gone flying with him, looping around and dancing in the sky, and they had soared over a happy and peaceful countryside. None of his memories fit with the idea of a war. Wars didn't just happen all of a sudden – at least he didn't think so. The monks hadn't told him much about war, except to say that the Avatar was meant to stop there being wars between the four peoples, and to tell him stories about what past Avatars had done, and he guessed he hadn't been paying as much attention as he should have.

The soldiers stopped outside a small door with a lock on it, and he knew he was going to have to do something or he would be trapped inside, and he had never tried to pick a lock with Airbending before. It would probably take way too long, and it might be too far by then to fly back to the village. He cleared his mind and took a deep breath, feeling the flow of chi in his body, and channelled it out in a massive exhalation which slammed the man in front into the door and sent Aang flying back along the corridor. The other soldier took most of the force when they hit the stairs, and with a jump, he was free.

There was another door straight ahead leading into the main bulk of the ship, and a quick kick of concentrated air burst it open. He had to find his staff before his guards recovered and raised the alarm. He hoped he hadn't hurt them too much hitting them off stuff, but they were probably okay. Now his only problem was that he had absolutely no idea where he was going. That prince guy – Zuko, one of the firebenders had called him – said it would be in his quarters, but that could be anywhere.

He ran into some more soldiers almost immediately, but they looked as surprised to see him as he was to see them. They weren't very helpful anyway, so he zoomed past them and kept on searching. He managed to get his hands free by cutting the rope on one of those spiky helmets the firebenders wore, which made it a lot easier to open doors. The first couple were empty, but he heard deep, loud snoring coming from the next one. It didn't sound much like it could be coming from Zuko, but it was worth a try. He opened the door.

It wasn't Zuko. Great coils of shimmering red-gold scales filled the room, and a massive maned head was breathing out plumes of smoke with each rumbling breath. There was no way the dragon would have fit through the entrance, so it _had_ to be a shapeshifter. That kind of made Aang feel even worse. Kuzon would never have had anything to do with a bunch of nasty, aggressive people like these, so this dragon couldn't be a very nice dragon at all.

"Sorry," he said, and backed away, closing the door as he went.

He was so caught up in thinking about the dragon that he nearly missed spotting his staff as he sped past the open door. It was propped up against a metal table that was bolted to the floor. He was just going to grab it and get out of there, but before he could, something caught his eye. There was a locked wooden box sitting on top of the table. It looked old and expensive, with carvings all over the sides. He was just reaching out to examine the lock when the door slammed shut behind him.

"Get your hands off of that," someone said. He sounded angry. Really angry.

"So, uh, I just came to get my staff, and now I've got it so I'll be going now..." he said quickly, turning around. Oh man. It was Prince Zuko. He was in _so_ much trouble.

"You're not going anywhere Avatar," Zuko said, dropping into a fighting stance, his odd, mis-matched eyes glaring. Aang hadn't had much of a chance of notice it earlier – the scar was much more obvious – but his left eye was so gold it was almost luminous, and the pupil in the middle didn't look quite human. In the low light, it almost seemed to have narrowed to a slit.

Aang dodged the first few fire blasts Zuko threw at him, but he didn't make it easy. Sometimes he had trained to fight with Kuzon, but his friend had never actually been trying to _hurt_ him. This was different; he could feel the heat every time the flames shot past him, and it scared him. He didn't know what to do except keep getting out of the way.

He managed to get in behind Zuko and that made things easier, the firebender getting more and more frustrated that he couldn't hit him. He had his staff, all he needed was to distract the prince long enough to get out of the door and away. They broke apart, and Aang spotted the mattress lying on the floor nearby. He grinned, having an idea. He flicked his staff, using it to manipulate a great gust of air that picked it up and used it to push Zuko into the wall, and then into the ceiling. Then he made a break for it.

He didn't get very far. He was barely out of the ship and aloft when a sudden weight fastened itself onto his leg. He looked down to see the prince had managed to leap after him far enough to grab onto his ankle. Wow. Zuko was _really_ determined. He tried hard, but he just couldn't get enough lift to keep them in the air, and they hit the deck, his glider snapping shut and half the breath knocked out of him. .

They were both back on their feet within seconds, but before Zuko could attack again, a low bellow split the air.

"Appa!" Aang said, his eyes lighting up. And Appa couldn't have come by himself, which meant Katara had to be with him. She had come to help him escape!

Zuko used his sudden distraction to his advantage though, sending a plume of flame at him, forcing him to spin his staff wildly to dissipate it. The firebender drove him back and back until he was trapped against the side of the ship, and then one final blast overbalanced him, and he tipped over, down into the dark sea below.

He hit the water, and everything went black for quite some time.

* * *

><p>When he came too, Appa had landed on the deck, and Katara was cradling him in her arms for the second time that day.<p>

"Hey," he said weakly. "What happened?"

"I think it must have been your Avatar spirit," Katara said, sounding kind of shaken. "Can you stand? We need to get out of here."

"Yeah, yeah I'm good." He felt pretty floppy, but he managed to get to his feet and take the few staggering steps to Appa's side, where the bison helped him up onto his back with his middle leg. A vaguely familiar boy was sitting in the howdah, his foot wrapped up and splinted.

"Hi," he said, waving.

"Uh... hi."

He turned to look back at the deck in time to see Katara freeze three soldiers to the ground and use a tentacle of water to grab his staff from where it had fallen some way away. She ran up Appa's tail onto his back, shouting "Yip, yip," at the top of her voice. Appa leapt into the air, still a little slow. He was probably still tired after all that time in the ice.

"Wow, Katara," he said, grinning at her. "You're a really good Waterbender. You were amazing back there!"

"I'm not anywhere near as good as Mistress Hama," she said, blushing slightly.

"Guys," the boy said, sounding panicked, "I don't think we're in the clear yet." He was pointing back at the ship, a ball of fire was now arcing towards them. Aang scrambled to his feet and leapt to the base of Appa's tail, extending the end of his glider just enough to create a powerful shockwave that deflected the fireball away and into the side of the ice cliff. Slush poured down on the ship, halting it in its tracks, and they were away and free.

"Okay," Sokka said, once they were well clear of the Fire Nation ship. "So you're the Avatar, apparently, and you were frozen in a block of ice for a hundred years, and you have a giant flying monster. And all of this happened while I was asleep. I miss anything out?"

"Um, just that I haven't really mastered any of the other elements yet..." Aang shrugged, looking a little sheepish. "You're Katara's brother, right? You looked really sick out on the ice, but I guess you're much better now. I didn't recognise you with clothes on. Sorry you couldn't come penguin sledding with us, it was really fun."

Well, that wasn't awkward at _all_. Sokka wasn't really sure what to make of this kid. He'd heard legends about the Avatar, everyone had, but he had imagined someone older, someone who seemed formidable and powerful, not a happy-go-lucky little guy who had only ever known times of peace, and didn't really seem to have much of a clue that there was a war on.

"So are we going back to your village?" Aang asked.

"No," Katara said. "Everyone there is going to relocate, and Hama is going with them to help them build. She's not going to have time to teach you Waterbending, and anyway, it won't be safe. The Fire Nation would find you sooner or later. Our plan is to go to our sister Tribe in the North Pole – there's a city there, and they say it's really well defended."

"Okay!" Aang said, seemingly equally happy with this idea. "Boy, this is going to be a great trip! I've been all over the world before, I've _got_ to show you some of the best sights on the way." He pulled a map out from one of the bags at the back of the howdah. "We're gonna go here, and here, and here..."

_Oh man, _Sokka thought_ , the world is totally screwed, isn't it._


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

The falling ice had buckled the bow, the metal rippling and shearing out of place. It was mostly superficial damage, nothing that would make the ship unfit for sea, but it made the deck unstable, and interfered with the opening of the prow. There was nothing for it – they would have to put in at the nearest Fire Nation docks for repairs.

Zuko knelt on the mat in his room, running his fingers over the carvings on the box in his lap. Some might have said he was practically hugging it to him, but that wasn't it at all, he thought. He just didn't want to lose his grip on it if they hit rough seas. The Avatar had been far too close to it before. He didn't like to think what might have happened if he had managed to steal it.

He took deep breaths, calming his thoughts. It would be a couple of days sailing before they reached their nearest outpost in the Southern Earth Kingdom, and the Avatar was getting further and further away with every hour. He needed to figure out how to track him, he needed to think like him long enough to find out what he wanted, so he knew where he might be going. But he knew nothing about him. Only what Uncle had told him of Airbenders and their ways. Pacifists and vegetarians, with moods changeable as the winds. Useless.

Someone cleared their throat from the doorway. Zuko turned his head. Speaking of Uncle...

"Ah, Prince Zuko. I thought I would find you here."

"What is it Uncle? I'm meditating."

"I wanted to apologise to you, my nephew."

Zuko frowned. "What for?" He couldn't think of anything particularly annoying Iroh had done lately, unless you counted offering him tea at every possible opportunity. And his Uncle would never apologise about tea.

Uncle sighed, and sat down next to him on the mat, looking over at the box in his arms. He had a sad kind of expression on his face. "I am sorry that I was so forgetful, leaving my skin behind in my cabin yesterday. If I had brought it outside with me, I could have helped you track the Avatar."

"No Uncle. It's my fault." He had known as much as soon as the Avatar stepped into his quarters. "I should have been able to overpower him. He would never have gotten away if I was still able to shift."

His Uncle sighed. He probably thought he was just as much of a failure as his Father did. It was Zuko's own mistakes that had put him in this situation, and his weakness that had prevented him from capturing the Avatar. Next time he would do better.

"Uncle, I know you're going to try and tell me some proverb that you think will make me feel better, but don't. Unless you can tell me how I can track down the Avatar after the ship is repaired, I would like to be alone. I need to think."

"Alright, Prince Zuko." Uncle patted him on the shoulder. His small smile didn't quite reach his eyes. Zuko had never been able to tell what all of Uncle's mysterious smiles meant. Was it a happy smile that he had an excuse to leave his incompetent nephew, or a sad smile that he wouldn't get to share his old man wisdom, or something else entirely that he was missing?

He tried to let his thoughts go and concentrate on the flickering heartbeat of the candles, to reach a calm place where Uncle said true knowledge and realisation came from, but it was useless. He never understood what Iroh was trying to tell him. Maybe finding that place in your head was something only real dragons could do. And Agni knew he wasn't a real dragon anymore.

* * *

><p>Zuko's ship looked tiny beside the newer, faster vessels that lined the docks. His crew had been complaining about the orders to stay on board, but he wasn't willing to take any chances. It would be so easy for one of them to let something slip whilst drinking in whatever hole they called a bar around these parts. Capturing the Avatar was <em>his<em> task, given to him by his father personally, and he would _not_ let anyone take that away from him.

He hadn't counted on Zhao being the man in command. His eyes narrowed the moment the man came into view, and he knew that if he weren't stuck in human form, his hackles would be raised and his fangs bared. This was hardly the first time he had run into Captain Zhao, and it had never been a pleasant experience. Perhaps it was understandable – Zhao had been there on the day he had been banished and had seen his shameful conduct, but it seemed he just would not accept that his father had given him this chance for atonement, and that he was doing his best to be worthy of it.

"Ah, Prince Zuko. And General Iroh, great and honoured Dragon of the West." Zhao looked smug even in greeting him.

"Retired General," Uncle said, smiling.

"Captain Zhao," Zuko said, feeling fire curling in his throat, ready to spill past his lips if he let it.

"It's Commander now." His eyes raked over the damaged ship behind them. "So what brings the Firelord's son and brother to my harbour?"

"Our ship is being repaired," Uncle said, waving a hand back at their mooring. His smile was placid. Zuko had no idea how he could be so calm.

"That's quite a bit of damage," Zhao said. Zuko wanted to wipe that smug smirk of his face. "Tell me, how did it happen?"

It was at moments like these that Zuko wished he was better at lying. "Yes. We will." He paused, thinking fast. "Uncle, tell Commander Zhao what happened."

"Yes. I will do that," Uncle said, stroking his beard. "It was incredible." He nudged Zuko and whispered, "What, did we crash or something."

"Yes! Right into... an Earth Kindgom ship."

It wasn't a very good story, but in the absence of anything better, Zhao seemed to buy it, although he didn't look too convinced. "Really," he said. "You must regale me with all the _thrilling_ details." He leaned in, emphasising the height difference between them. "Join me for a drink?"

"Sorry," Zuko said, turning away, "but we have to go." He was prevented from leaving by Uncle Iroh's sudden hand on his shoulder.

"Zuko," Uncle said, with a warning note to his tone. "Show Commander Zhao your respect." He turned back to the man, bowing. "We would be honoured to join you. Do you have any ginseng tea? It's my favourite."

Couldn't his Uncle see that forcing himself to be polite to that man just wasn't going to happen right now? His temper was on a thin enough thread as it was, he wasn't sure he would be able to keep it from exploding with Zhao continuously needling him. Fire blossomed from his hands in frustration. This was _not_ going to go well.

* * *

><p>Zhao was clearly taking advantage of his new promotion, judging by the state of his tents. Zuko tried to keep from fidgeting in his seat. He shouldn't have been surprised that his crew had betrayed him. They didn't serve on his ship because they <em>liked <em>him – they didn't have a choice. They didn't have any reason to be loyal to him, and considering the kind of rumours that he _knew_ went around about his banishment, he didn't blame them.

It still hurt. The thought that Zhao might now be able to find and capture the Avatar before him made it all the worse. This was a task his father had given _him_ personally. His only chance of regaining his honour, even though he would bear the consequences of his previous weakness for the rest of his life. If Zhao managed it, he would never be able to return home.

Uncle Iroh kept on drinking his ginseng tea. It was as though he didn't even care that Zuko might lose the only hope he had left. Couldn't he see how unfair this was? How could he remain calm while they were as good as prisoners in this tent?

Zuko scowled, and he might have said something about it if Zhao hadn't picked that moment to return.

"My search party is ready. Once we're out to sea, the guards will escort you back to your pathetic excuse for a ship, and you'll be free to go."

Zuko simply couldn't take his condescending attitude anymore. "Why?" he said, "Are you worried I'm going to try to stop you?"

Zhao, damn him, simply laughed. "You? A baby dragon with his wings clipped, stop me? Impossible."

Rage burned through him like wildfire. "Don't underestimate me Zhao. I _will_ capture the Avatar before you."

"Prince Zuko, that's enough." Uncle's voice was sharp, but it came to him through a haze of anger too strong to be turned aside now. He could feel rippling heat bursting from his mouth with every breath.

"You can't compete with me, hatchling. I have hundreds of warships under my command, and you? You are nothing. You have no home, no allies, your own sire doesn't even want you. He should have smashed your egg before you were born."

"You're wrong. Once I deliver the Avatar to my father, he will welcome me home with honour, and restore my rightful place on the throne."

"If your father really wanted you home, he would have let you return by now, Avatar or no Avatar. But in his eyes you are a failure, unworthy of your kind, and a disgrace to the Fire Nation. But if _I_ bring him the Avatar, he will reward me greatly. Perhaps even with a dragonskin."

"Liar! He would never give one of our cousins' skins to you."

"Please. As if I am not as worthy as all those old generals who have yet failed to even scratch the walls of Ba Sing Se. It isn't as if he doesn't have plenty to go around, all those hides your grandfather and great-grandfather flayed from the backs of those traitors. You are about as worthy of you heritage as they were, and Agni knows I deserve to be a dragon far more than you, even if you were born to it."

"That's not true!" He was spitting sparks now, but Zhao merely brushed them aside casually.

"You have the scar to prove it."

"Maybe you'd like one to match!"

Zhao smiled. "Is that a challenge, little dragon?"

"An Agni Kai. At sunset. Then I'll show you what a dragon can do."

"Very well." The Commander shrugged. "It's a shame your sire won't be here to watch me humiliate you. I guess your Uncle will do." He turned and swept out of the tent, leaving Zuko huffing out little puffs of flame and trying to calm down. It would probably be bad if he set the tent on fire. Behind him his Uncle sighed.

"Prince Zuko. Have you forgotten what happened the last time you duelled a master?"

He managed to stop himself from raising a hand to touch his scar only by force of will. "I will never forget." After all, he only had to look in a mirror to be reminded.

* * *

><p>"If you are going to have any hope of winning this fight, you must keep a cool head and remember your basics." Uncle Iroh looked grave. <em>How nice of you to have faith in me Uncle<em>, Zuko thought to himself. He was well aware that his Firebending had been... unbalanced, was the only way he could think of it, ever since he had been banished, but he simply couldn't have stood there and let Zhao say those things.

"I know Uncle."

"No dragon ever caught his prey by being hot headed. You must be calm and clear, so that you know when to strike."

"I _know_ Uncle. You make it sound as if I'm going to eat him afterwards."

Uncle Iroh chuckled. "I remember when you were a cub running around the palace, getting under everyone's feet and chasing the pigeon-mice. You were a good hunter."

"Clearly not good enough, if I allowed the Avatar to slip out of my reach." Zuko's eyes narrowed. "Come on. It's nearly sunset, and I have an Agni Kai to win."

* * *

><p>It would have been so easy to kill him, Zuko thought later, once they were back on the ship. He had been so angry after everything he had said, he had wanted to do it so much, to show him what fire felt like when it became an enemy instead of a friend. If he had been human, maybe he would have. But looking down on Zhao lying on his back, baring his throat and his belly, it had read as submission, even if the more rational part of him was well aware it was anything but. It would have gone against every instinct he possessed to strike a mortal blow at that point. It was in a dragon's nature to fight, but to establish dominance. You killed prey often, but kin only when you had too.<p>

He was probably going to regret his decision later. After all, his father had taught him that mercy was weak, that showing it was weak. And if he was ever going to earn his way home, that was something he needed to purge from himself. With yet more fire, if he had too.

* * *

><p>"It feels a lot better," Sokka said, wiggling his toes back and forth. The pain was still there, but more of an ache than anything. Certainly a lot better than the horrible feeling of shattered bone that had overwhelmed him, out on the ice. Hama was a good healer, and she had clearly managed to give Katara a few tips during those hurried minutes when they had packed their things onto the flying bison.<p>

"That's great," Katara said, flicking the faintly glowing water from her hands and streaming it back into her carrying skin. "You should be all healed up in a few days."

"Oh man, I can't wait to go swimming again." He glanced down longingly at the wide expanse of the ocean far below, the white tips of the waves ever shifting beneath them.

"You're going to have a great time where we're going then," Aang said, poking his head up from where he was sitting between Appa's horns, their newest companion the flying lemur wrapped around his neck. "It's going to be amazing! I'm going to ride the elephant koi, and you can too if you want. Although you guys are seals, right, so you'd probably prefer to just swim along side."

"That does sound really good," Sokka said, "but aren't we meant to be getting you to the North Pole? I'm not sure we've got a lot of time for detours."

"It's on the way," Aang said, looking plaintive. "Besides, having fun is important. If you just study all the time, you become really boring. That's what Monk Gyatso said." The sudden memory made his face fall.

"Okay Aang, I think we can do that," Katara said hurridly. "We could do with finding a bit more to eat anyway. The fruit we found at the Air Temple isn't going to last much longer."

"Thanks Katara." Aang smiled, though it was a bit shaky. "I promise you, you won't be disappointed."

* * *

><p>The bay looked out onto a wide expanse of crystal clear water, and as they watched, a massive head crested the waves, golden scales and fins casting rainbows of spray through the air before it disappeared back beneath the surface.<p>

"Awesome!" Sokka said, already following Aang's lead and stripping down.

"Are you sure your foot is strong enough Sokka?" Katara asked, looking concerned, although he knew her well enough to see that she was just as eager as he was to get out there into the inviting surf.

"I'll be fine. Besides, what's the worst that could happen? I get a bit tired and you have to help me back to shore. Big deal."

"Well... okay then." His sister broke into a smile, and tossed him his pelt, starting to pull off her own parka. "I can't remember the last time I went in the water just for fun."

"We should play ice-ball again," Sokka said, wading out into the shallows, his pelt draped over his arm. "I think it should be cold enough here that it won't melt." He didn't wait for her reply. His foot felt great, and he wrapped his pelt around him, feeling his bones shift painlessly to fit it, muscles and fat filling out his form. The faint chill of the air and sea was gone, and he dived forward, feeling his flippers strong and powerful in the water.

He wanted to shout and laugh, it felt so good. He leapt into the air, letting out an excited bark, twisting to see that Katara had joined him in the water and was nudging a hollow sphere of ice through the waves towards him. If seals had the mouths for it, he would have been grinning. He hadn't realised how much he had been missing this.

"Guys," Aang shouted, "guys over here. Look at me!"

Somehow he had managed to climb onto the back of one of the gigantic fish, and was riding it just as he had said he would, gripping onto the leading edge of its fin. The fish was soon joined by a pair of its brethren, and Sokka couldn't resist swimming further out to their side, game of ice-ball forgotten before it could begin.

The fish were fast, but so was he, and he had no real problem keeping up. Katara was beside him before he knew it, her lighter mottled-grey fur as familiar to him as his own. They matched each other without even thinking about it, twirling and dancing around one another and around Aang on his koi. Perhaps he was still a little slow, but his sister compensated for it easily, not going faster than he could handle.

They could have continued on like that for hours, but Sokka soon noticed the fish were becoming a little twitchy, almost nervous. Of course he knew what that looked like, he had hunted fish hundreds of times before, but they were not the ones causing it this time. He paused, looking around for the danger. The water was clear but the bright light filtering down from above made it hard to see anything out in the depths of the bay.

He was about ready to dismiss it as his own overactive imagination when a dark shape shifted across his view. It was massive, so big he had taken it at first for just another variation of colour in the background, but the moment it moved the illusion was shattered. Something was hunting them.

He darted over to nudge Katara in her side, pointing with his nose in the direction of the silent threat. She took his meaning at once, and her eyes grew wide with fear and alarm. They both turned and started to leap from the waves, trying to get Aang's attention. He just took it for excitement though – of course when they were in seal form, they couldn't shout to warn him. He had no idea what they were trying to say.

Sokka knew what he had to do. It would slow him down until he could change back, but it was the only way. He slipped out of his pelt, legs kicking furiously as they made the transition from powerful flippers to pathetic human feet, and broke the surface of the waves, crying out as loud as he could.

"Aang, look out! There's a monster in the water!"

"What?" The boy said, twisting around to look behind him. The shadow was closer now, and as he watched a fin the size of an iceberg surfaced, arcing high above their heads. Sokka gulped. This thing could swallow him in one bite.

Pulling his pelt back on, he swam for shore, vaguely aware of Aang shooting past him, using Airbending to go so fast he was literally running on water. Now he realised how much his injury was really slowing him down. _Please don't eat me, please don't eat me,_ he repeated over and over in his head.

He made it to the shallows, panting great deep breaths as he pulled himself on to dry land, the monster circling fitfully in the deeper water not far away, thwarted. He collapsed onto the dry, cold gravel of the beach in human form. Katara ran to him, pulling him into a bone-crushing hug.

"Sokka, are you okay? That thing nearly ate you!"

"I _never_... want... to do... that... again."

"I'm sure that wasn't there a hundred years ago," Aang said, pulling his clothes back on. "Pretty sure I would have noticed it if it was. I'm really sorry guys, I had no idea riding elephant koi could be so dangerous."

"What was that thing?" Katara asked.

"I don't know, and I don't want to find out. Let's just get somewhere far, far away from it, and quickly," Sokka said, groaning as he got to his feet. His muscles ached everywhere, and his legs had practically turned to jelly.

"I agree," Katara said firmly. "We should head inland. We can gather food along the way, and we can take off from the other side of the island tomorrow."

"Okay everybody, let's hit the road." Sokka was just stooping to pick up his pelt when he heard the rustling coming from the trees above them – and it was a windless day. He looked up in time to see half a dozen figures clad in green and gold dropping from overhead before something dark was pulled over his eyes and he was dumped unceremoniously onto the ground.

"Or I guess we could just stay here."

* * *

><p>"Tell us what you're doing on our island, Seal Folk, or we'll throw you back with the Unagi." The voice was high and clear, and whoever they were, they sounded angry. "And don't think you can lie to us. We have your pelts, and we know what that means. You <em>have<em> to tell the truth."

She was right. He could feel someone's hands on his pelt, bare skin against short fur, a contact almost tugging at his heart, making it difficult to breath. "How about you show yourselves first, you cowards," Sokka said, baring his teeth. He was a warrior of the Water Tribes; he wasn't going to be intimidated by anyone.

Cloth rubbed together softly as someone stepped forward, and then light flooded back into his eyes as the blindfold was ripped away. He blinked, trying to focus on the blurry crowd of people in front of them.

"Hey, wait a minute. You guys are girls." Girls in war paint, but still girls.

"And what's your point?" the closest one said. She looked like she was in charge – her headdress was different to the others', and she had their pelts draped over her arm.

"But you aren't benders. There's no way a bunch of girls could have beat us if they weren't able to bend!"

The leader handed their skins to the girl next to her and took a threatening step forward, grabbing him by the neck of his parka. "_What_ did you say?"

"Don't listen to him," Katara said, twisting in her bonds to get their attention. "My brother can be an idiot sometimes. He didn't mean it."

The warrior looked less than impressed, but she stepped back, letting go of him. Her eyes raked over the trio impassively.

"Wait," Aang said, "this is my fault. I'm sorry we came to your island. I wanted to ride the elephant koi." Sokka couldn't see him properly, but he sounded really guilty.

"How do we know you aren't Fire Nation spies?" An elderly man dressed in fine blue-dyed furs stepped forwards. "It would not be the first time one of the Seal People has turned their backs on their tribe, or been forced to work for their enemies. Kyoshi Island has stayed out of the war so far; we want to keep it that way."

"This island is named for Kyoshi?" Aang said, perking up. "I know Kyoshi."

"Hah!" The man scoffed. "How could you possibly know her? Avatar Kyoshi was born here four hundred years ago. She's been dead for centuries."

"I know her because _I'm_ the Avatar."

"That's impossible. The last Avatar was an Airbender who disappeared 100 years ago," the girl said.

"That's me!"

The old man sneered, clearly not believing him. "Throw the imposter to the Unagi."

Sokka gulped as the girls in green drew paired fans from their sashes and flicked them open with a sound that was distinctly metallic. Those might _look_ like girly weapons, but he was willing to bet they would hurt if they hit him.

"Aang," his sister said, "do some Airbending!"

"Oh, yeah." Sokka couldn't see exactly what he did to get out of the ropes, but the little guy was soaring overhead before he could blink, right over the head of the statue they were tied to, and floating back down the other side to cries of amazement from the gathered crowd.

"It's true," the old man said, clearly shocked. "You _are_ the Avatar."

"Yeah," Aang said, grinning his little face off. "Now uh, could you untie my friends and give them their skins back?"

"Thanks for the warm welcome," Sokka muttered under his breath. This island sucked.

* * *

><p>Never let it be said that Sokka of the Southern Water Tribe was unable to learn his lessons. After being roundly thrashed by Suki in the Kyoshi Warriors' training hut, he simply had to admit that maybe he had been wrong about that whole 'girls can only fight if they can bend' thing. Obviously he knew girls could fight – he had seen Hama and his sister in action, but they were both waterbenders. None of the other women of the tribe fought. It didn't seem like it would make sense, but considering just how much better the Kyoshi warriors were than him, he reckoned they had pretty much proved that they were just as capable as his father or any of his fighters.<p>

It kind of hurt actually, knowing that he had been beaten so easily by other people his own age. If they had been adults it wouldn't have been as bad, but he was meant to be a warrior, the only man left to protect their village, and he couldn't even do that. _Katara_ was more capable of doing that than he was.

He made his way up to the training hut trying to psych himself up to apologise. At this rate who knew when he would next have a chance to maybe get some actual _training_. The Kyoshi Warriors knew what they were doing, and even if Suki made him grovel at her feet, as long as it got her to show him a few moves, he would do it.

Suki was inside, her fans slicing through the air in graceful turns and strikes. Sokka stepped through the door tentatively, not sure if it would be rude to break her concentration by trying to get her attention. She was probably annoyed enough with him as it was, he didn't want to make things worse.

When she finally finished the kata, he cleared his throat loudly. "Uh, hey, Suki."

She turned to look at him, scowling. "Hoping for another dance lesson?"

"Uh... I... well. Let me explain."

"Spit it out. What do you want?"

He reminded himself that he owed her this, that he had been a fool earlier. He knelt, his head bowed before her. "I would be honoured if you would teach me."

"Even if I'm a girl?"

"I was wrong to say you couldn't be as good a warrior as a man without bending to help you. It was insulting, and I should have known better." He didn't dare look up to see her expression. She was probably glaring at him all the more.

"We normally don't teach outsiders, let alone boys."

"Please make an exception. I promise, I won't let you down."

There was a long moment of silence. He waited for her answer, almost sure he would be turned down. What would he do then? So far he had been useless on their journey, unable to fight because of his injury, nearly getting himself eaten, and then unable to defend them from an ambush. Whereas the Kyoshi Warriors had taken the three of them down without breaking a sweat.

"All right," Suki finally said. "But you have to follow all of our traditions."

"Of course," he said, looking up. He would put up with anything to have this chance.

"And I mean _all_ of them," Suki told him, smiling in a slightly ominous way.

* * *

><p>He should have expected the dress. He couldn't think of anything less manly, but it was far too late to back out now. He took it gingerly, trying to puzzle out the array of ties and folds.<p>

"Here," Suki said, "I'll show you how to put it on. I'll do your make-up myself – it's harder than it looks, and you don't want to get paint all over your dress, now do you."

"No," Sokka said, resigning himself to it. He began to strip down to his underwear, conscious of Suki's eyes on him.

"Don't you change when it touches your skin?" The question surprised him until he followed her gaze and realised she was looking at his pelt tied in a loose belt around his waist.

"No. I have to pull it round my shoulders at least. And it's kind of a conscious thing, I mean you have to decide to do it. It doesn't just happen."

"Huh."

"Don't you guys have any shifters on Kyoshi?"

"Not for a long time," she said. "We're not the only place in the Earth Kingdoms like that. I've never travelled, but we hear stories and gossip from the traders who come here to buy fish. They say that some towns are full of shifters of all kinds who can become birds and beasts, and other places there are none at all. They even say that the great heroes and kings are sometimes gifted by the spirits with the skin of a badger-mole, and gain perfect understanding of Earthbending."

"Really?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. It's just a legend."

"You said there hadn't been a shifter here for a long time, so who was the last one?"

"Avatar Kyoshi, according to the histories. We still have her skin in the shrine here on the island. It's further up the mountain, in the forest. But of course she had to leave it behind when she became the Avatar."

"I can't imagine doing that," Sokka said, his fingers finding the short fur of his pelt almost subconsciously.

"Well... right now you might have to. It _is_ a little too bulky to fit under this dress," Suki said, a little awkwardly. "This uniform is a bit small for you anyway, but it was the only spare we had."

"Oh. Okay." Sokka said, flushing. "But that's not forever, and I guess it'll be safe in here, won't it. Now that you guys know who we are and aren't trying to kill us or anything."

"It will be perfectly safe," Suki assured him. "I give you my word."

* * *

><p>The Avatar was so close he could feel it. It was destiny that had brought his location to his ears, and it was destiny that would deliver the Avatar into his hands. Such an opportunity falling into his lap could be nothing else.<p>

The komodo-rhinos were saddled and ready, waiting patiently in the bowels of the ship. He knew to take more of his crew with him this time, although he could only spare so many if he wanted the ship to remain defensible whilst they were gone. It wouldn't do for some of the local forces to cut off their line of retreat, and prevent him taking the Avatar away. Uncle would be staying though, and Zuko was well aware that the Dragon of the West was more than a match for anyone who might attack them.

He shifted impatiently in his seat as the helmsman brought them in to shore. The hydraulics in the prow groaned loudly, echoing through the narrow space as it was lowered down to land on the earth with a dull thump. In front of them a coastal trail stretched along the waterfront in the direction of the nearby town.

"I want the Avatar alive," Zuko said, looking around at his troops. They all nodded back, and he nudged his rhino into a quick walk up the path. He was so very close, and he couldn't afford to let the Avatar escape again.

* * *

><p>The village was deserted. They had known they were coming – someone must have spotted the ship and raised the alarm. Zuko growled with barely suppressed anger.<p>

"Come out Avatar," he shouted. "You can't hide from me forever." There was nothing but the natural silence of the forest; the wind in the trees, the rushing waters of a nearby river. It was possible that he had left already, flown off on that giant shaggy monster of his, but if so, surely one of the look-outs would have seen it. The beast wasn't exactly inconspicuous. No, he had to be sure.

"Find him." He gestured to the others and they began to spread out, making their way up the narrow road between the two rows of houses. Zuko hung back a little, suspicious. This would be the perfect place for an ambush, with the komodo-rhinos unable to manoeuvre freely.

When it came, the attack was swift and silent, figures robed in green and gold leaping down from the rooftops and tackling his firebenders from their seats behind the non-bending soldiers. His crew reacted quickly though, recovering and facing off against them. Zuko was about to spur his own rhino up the slope to reinforce them when one of the warriors broke off and darted down the hill towards him. He threw fire at her, but she was fast, dodging or batting the flames aside with her war fans.

In moments she was upon him. He reacted nearly without thinking, yanking on the reins to spin the rhino and send its tail smacking into her side. She was thrown into the side of the nearest house with a shout of pain. That had probably cracked a few ribs, but he knew better than to think that would keep her down for long. These warriors were too well trained for that. As she struggled to rise, he sent a punch of flame in her direction.

With a snap another set of fans flicked open and someone stepped into the path of his fire, blocking it in a shower of sparks. He had time to take in an unusual and vaguely familiar hairstyle before another warrior tackled him off his rhino's back. They landed heavily, but Zuko took most of the force. It drove the breath out of him, and he knew he was going to have bruises all over his back the next day. It took him a moment to restore his breath control, and by then he was surrounded. Three to one odds. He wasn't worried. He knew he could take them.

Fire blossomed from his feet as easily as it did from his fingers. A spinning kick swept the trio's feet from under them, and he heard one cry out as it burnt its way through her shin-guards. They might still be a threat, but he didn't have time to deal with them properly. While they held him up, the Avatar could be escaping.

He leapt back out into the street, scanning the skies for signs of the familiar glider. Perhaps he could still draw him out. "Nice try Avatar," he shouted, "but these little girls can't save you."

"Hey, over here!" The familiar voice came from the foot of the hill. The Avatar looked up at him, defiant, his staff in hand.

"Finally." His world narrowed to a pin-point focus the moment his eyes landed on his prey. In this form he had no claws, but flame bloomed instead from the tip of each finger. He stalked towards him, throwing fire with each step, trying to drive him back against the base of the statue and trap him there.

The monk used his staff to block his attacks as he had before, but instead of continuing to retreat, this time he spins it in the air above him, somehow gathering enough lift to soar off the ground and up the slope to land in a crouch in front of him. Zuko pounced, hands aflame, and kicked the staff away. Let him try to run without his glider.

The Avatar leapt backwards, looking around desperately for a weapon. A pair of war fans lay nearby, and he grabbed them, gusts of air lifting them into his hands. They sat comfortably in his grip, and Zuko remembered with a jolt of surprise that Avatar Kyoshi had been famed for her use of tessen.

It struck him, as the Avatar sent him crashing through a building, that he ought to have thought of that sooner.

* * *

><p>Sokka's face was still burning from Suki's kiss when he realised he couldn't leave yet. His pelt was still back in the training hut – he hadn't thought to grab it when the chief had raised the alarm. He cursed his stupidity as he ran up through the burning houses to the top of the village, breath harsh and panting in his throat. The dress was light enough, but his feet still hurt from the Fire Prince's attack and the iron-rimmed fans seemed to weigh him down more with every step.<p>

Finally he reached the clearing. It seemed strikingly peaceful there, for the flames hadn't yet reached that far, and there were no soldiers around either. He ducked in through the open door and into the side room, fumbling for the bag holding his pelt and the rest of his clothes. In his panic he almost thought someone had taken it, but then his fingers brushed bristly fur, and he let out a sigh of relief.

The emotion was short lived, however. In his haste to get back to Aang and Katara, he didn't watch his path as carefully as he should have, and so he didn't notice the firebender until he ran right into him. Or possibly her, he thought somewhat hysterically, staring into the blank skull-like mask. Who knew under all that armour.

The firebender grabbed him and held a fistful of flame to his face. "Come with me, warrior." The voice echoed metallic within the confines of their helmet. "I'm sure the Prince will want to know where the Avatar is headed."

"Meep," Sokka said, eyes wide. As soon as they checked his bag and found his pelt, he was in so much trouble.


	3. Chapter 3

**AN:** Thanks to all my reviewers, and I'm glad you're enjoying it. To answer a few questions: Alecdot, the mechanics of the shapeshifting are kind of adapted from mythology as well as some original ideas. Kimberly T, regarding baby shifters, this will be touched on in a later chapter at some point, probably involving flashbacks.

**Chapter Three**

Smoke drifted through the air, thick and choking, and Katara could hardly hear herself think over the roar of the flames devouring the nearby houses. Sparks drifted through the hot air, tiny pin-pricks of pain where they landed on her bare skin. She looked around desperately for any sign of her brother, hoping the height of Appa's back would help. There was no-one in sight. Not even any of the Kyoshi warriors.

"We have to go Katara," Aang yelled. "It's the only way to stop Zuko from hurting anyone else here."

"Not without Sokka." She knew he was right though. Every minute they stayed was time for the Fire Nation to find them and attack them again. The Kyoshi warriors might be able to hold them off for now, but she had seen enough raids in her lifetime to know that they never gave up. They would just keep coming back, and maybe next time they would bring more soldiers. It wasn't fair on Suki and the others to put them in danger like this.

"We don't have to go far," Aang said. "So long as Zuko sees us leave, we can come back later and get him. He'll be safe with Suki, won't he?"

"Yeah," Katara said, forcing herself to calm down. She couldn't help but be worried though, even if she knew it wasn't very rational. The fire put her on edge – she had never seen this much of it before, too much for her waterbending to handle. This wasn't the South Pole, where water was everywhere, and it was easy to shift, and hide, and wait to strike back. "He'll be fine. Sokka's smarter than he looks." _Most of the time_, she thought to herself.

"Don't worry Katara," Aang said, "Nothing bad is going to happen to him while we're gone."

* * *

><p>Zuko could hardly miss it when the bison passed over their heads, six great legs outstretched and its tail beating the air. He glared up at it, catching sight of the Avatar perched on the beast's neck. He wasn't going to make the same mistake of throwing a fireball at it, not after the last time. There might not be any ice to fall on their heads, but he was sure the universe would find some other way to kick him while he was down. Destiny seemed to be teasing him, throwing his prey into his lap only to yank it away again at the last minute.<p>

They had managed to push their attackers back into the forest by now. The village was theirs, for all that was worth, abandoned, the civilians having run for the hills, no doubt. The sweet smell of burning wood filled the air, along with the more chemical tang of whatever paints they had used on their statue of Kyoshi.

"Back to the rhinos," he ordered, looking around to his troops, checking which ones were injured, and how badly. "I'm not losing them again." They were just climbing back into the saddles when someone in Fire Nation armour came trotting down the slope, pushing one of the green-clad warriors in front of her. Zuko was slightly embarrassed to note he hadn't even noticed she'd been missing.

"We don't have any use for prisoners," he said, once they were in hearing range. He already knew which direction the Avatar had been headed, and there was little enough food to go around his crew without setting some of it aside to feed some Earth Kingdom peasant girl.

"I think you'll have a use for this one," Private Liu Dan replied, pulling something grey from the warrior's bag. Zuko's eyes widened as he saw what it was.

"Water Tribe," he said softly. "You've done well Private. She must be travelling with the Avatar."

"Hey, I'm not a girl," the warrior said, looking affronted. He waggled his hands in the air in front of his chest. "See. Nothing up here."

Zuko cleared his throat, slightly embarrassed. It wouldn't be dignified to apologise though. "Alright. Let's take him back to the ship and see what he knows."

The Water Tribe boy looked like the implications of being a prisoner had only just hit him. It clearly wasn't a happy thought. Only right, Zuko thought, that someone else should be as equally miserable as him. Besides, things were looking up again. The Avatar had proven himself to be vulnerable to hostages before.

* * *

><p>Sokka found himself bundled onto the back of a scary looking lizard with really, really big horns, his hands tied loosely in front of him. The Firebender who had caught him swung up into the saddle behind him, reaching around to grab the reins. He tried to edge away from her – he was pretty sure by now that the voice was female – but there wasn't enough room on the lizard's back to move much.<p>

"Don't try to run," the Firebender said. "It would be... unwise."

As they made their way back along the costal path at a fast trot, Sokka couldn't help but wonder what had happened to Aang and Katara. Obviously they had managed to get away, or Zuko wouldn't be leaving, but he knew his sister, and she would never leave him behind by choice. She would come back for him, even if it meant doing something stupidly risky.

The wind was still blowing the scent of burning in their direction by the time they reached the Fire Nation ship, and Sokka looked up at the massive thing with trepidation. He might be a prisoner, he thought, but at least he might be able to get some information out of this if he kept his eyes open. Katara had been inside that old vessel right before they left, but that was ancient, and he was pretty sure they would have changed a lot since then. If he managed to get away, it could be useful to know the layout of these ships, and how their soldiers were trained, and who the officers were.

The spike at the front of the ship came down again noisily at an order from Zuko, and the Prince led them all up the ramp and into the dark and strange-smelling insides.

"Lieutenant Jee," Zuko shouted, jumping down from his saddle and striding up to a tall and familiar looking man. "I hope you had the lookouts tracking the Avatar's bison."

"Of course, sir," the man said, and Sokka finally realised that he had been the one holding a knife to his little sister's throat, back at the village. He gave the lieutenant a dirty look, not caring if he got in trouble for it. No-one hurt Katara and got away with it.

"He flew along the coastline for about a mile, then turned inland. We lost sight of him in the clouds, but he was heading for the mountains."

Zuko looked thoughtful, then his gaze turned back to Sokka, and he smiled like he had just realised something very important. "He'll be back," he said, so quietly that Sokka almost couldn't hear it. Unfortunately he knew that was bound to be true, and he was sure the Prince had just figured out that he had the perfect bargaining chip in his hands. This was _not_ going to be fun.

"Everybody back to your stations," Zuko said loudly to the troop of soldiers. "Anyone who needs to, go and see the medic." He turned back to Jee. "Have Private Liu Dan bring the prisoner to my quarters in twenty minutes. I need to talk to my Uncle."

"Aye, sir."

Sokka twisted in his seat to look at the Firebender. "So, what are you going to do with me until Angry Guy wants me?" he said, trying to look nonchalant. The soldier looked down at him, expressionless behind her faceplate. She was probably glaring at him. Sokka grinned at her, though it was more from fear than anything else.

Liu Dan sighed, and got down off the lizard's back, her armoured boots clanking off the metal plating under foot. "We'll get that muck off your face first," she said, tugging on the rope that bound his hands together. It caught Sokka off guard, and he slid out of the saddle with a yelp, landing rather painfully on his back.

"What was that for?"

"Water Tribe idiot," the Firebender said, hauling him to his feet. She pushed him in front of her roughly, guiding him through the press of soldiers and horned lizard things, past some kind of weird catapult mechanism on a raised platform, then up a set of stairs that led out of the big hold area. Sokka had to remind himself to look around – it was hard to think past the fear of just what the Fire Nation might do to him.

"Here," Liu Dan said, shoving him through a door into a room lined with bunk beds. She gestured to a table at the end where there was a bowl half full of what turned out to be stagnant water, as well as some kind of strange smelling soap.

The war paint Suki had given him didn't wash off easily, but then neither had his own back at the South Pole, and he was used to the amount of scrubbing it took. He tried to avoid getting any of it on his battle dress, but he wasn't entirely successful. It wasn't too obvious though, thankfully.

"You're done?" the Firebender said, impatiently.

Sokka nodded, steeling himself for what he knew was coming. He would have to face Zuko sooner or later, and then there would be Fire Nation hands on his pelt, making his skin crawl all over, and they would make him a prisoner in soul as well as body. And he had no-one to blame but himself.

* * *

><p>"If I'm going to catch the Avatar, I'm going to need bait, and this Water Tribe boy will be perfect. He must have been one of his companions. He's a shifter, Uncle, and we have his pelt." Zuko took a deep breath. "I need your help. I don't know anything about binding a shifter to obey me, and..."<p>

"You were hoping I would?" Uncle stroked his beard thoughtfully. "It is easy enough to do, if you want _quick_ results, not good ones."

"I don't need him for long. Just until the Avatar is close enough. I won't underestimate him this time Uncle. I know what he's capable of, and he will _not_ escape again."

Uncle looked almost reluctant to tell him, but he started to explain quickly enough, and Zuko decided he must have imagined it. "The touch of bare skin is enough to compel a shifter – for a time," he said. "But it allows a lot of loopholes. You will have to be careful nephew."

Zuko nodded. It had to be strange. He had never touched another shifter's skin before – at least, not while they weren't wearing it, and only his family had ever had their hands on his own. He wondered what it felt like, to be forced into doing whatever someone else said, with no choice at all. It sounded awful. He put it out of his mind though. This was a Water Tribe barbarian they were talking about. A selkie. It wasn't as if they were civilised, not like dragons were. They weren't even proper predators – they could be hunted by shark-whales and polar wolf-bears unless they changed and fought with spears and clubs. Dragons feared nothing.

When the knock came at the door, he took a deep breath to steady his chi, and ordered them to enter. Liu Dan pushed the Water Tribe boy inside, his bag –and with it his pelt – in her hand.

"As you ordered sir," she said, with a short bow, handing him the bag. "Do you want me to wait outside?"

He nodded, attention already focussed on the soft, grey-furred pelt. The boy must have been in a hurry, but he had still taken the care to fold his skin carefully before storing it away. He laid it across his lap. It was heavy and warm, and he thought he could almost feel the faint thread of a heartbeat through it. He looked up at the prisoner. He had gone pale as a sheet.

"Sit down," Zuko said, scowling. The moment the words left his lips, the boy slumped to the floor like a puppet with its strings cut. By the look on his face, he hadn't been expecting that either. Interesting. "Now, this is what you're going to do."

* * *

><p>Night fell, sending shadows creeping over the face of the mountain, casting a blanket of darkness over the forest depths. Appa chewed contentedly at the short grass that carpeted the meadow in the clearing, perfectly happy to stay where he was. Aang tried to play catch the airball with Momo, but his heart wasn't in it. His gaze kept falling on Katara, pacing up and down at the edge of the trees, her arms wrapped around herself.<p>

"We could probably head down now," Aang said, finally coming to a decision. Even if it wasn't fully dark yet, it would take them a while to get back to the village, and at least walking would give Katara something else to think about. He knew when he was feeling sad it always helped him to go for a flight on his glider.

Katara looked up and nodded. She looked determined, even though she must be worried. "If anything's happened to him, Zuko is going to pay," she said, scowling. She sounded really mad, which he understood. He still felt angry whenever he thought about the Southern Air Temple, so he tried not to think about it much. Monks weren't meant to get angry like that. It might lead to doing something bad, like hurting someone, maybe even killing them if you were hurting enough, and that was never the right thing to do. That was not what Air Nomads were all about. Still, he knew Katara would never do anything like that, even if she _was_ worried about Sokka.

"When we were flying over, I saw a trail leading down over there," he said, pointing. "I think it goes nearly all the way back to the village."

"I hope Sokka knows we're coming back for him," Katara said. "What if he thinks I've abandoned him? He felt really bad about saying those things to Suki, and he might think I was angry at him too, and that's why we left him behind."

"He wouldn't think that," Aang said, "You're his sister! That's an even bigger deal than being friends, Monk Gyatso said, and I know you'd come back for me if _I_ was in trouble. You did before – you helped me escape from Zuko's ship."

"Thanks Aang," Katara said, smiling at him. "You're very comforting."

"Happy to help."

* * *

><p>Most of the houses were still smouldering when Suki came back to the village. She had left the other Kyoshi warriors leading the civilians to the temporary camp up in the hills – they had heard enough of the war to know that it could only be a matter of time before something like this happened, and Avatar Kyoshi had always taught that a warrior should be prepared. They would be safe there, until they could be sure that the danger was past, and the time had come to rebuild.<p>

The air stank of ash and smoke, the heat of embers and wood turned to charcoal warm against her face as she picked her way carefully through the scrub at the edge of forest. The snow that had been slowly melting away for days had disappeared entirely now, gone to water and then dried up completely. She told herself that the prickling in her eyes was the acrid breeze or the pain in her ribs from being hit by that rhino, nothing more.

Suki headed for the warrior's hut. She assumed Sokka had left with the Avatar and his sister – and truly, the sight of the sky bison taking to the air had been the only thing that had stopped the Fire Nation troops from following them into the woods. Her warriors had made a good showing of themselves, but they were all young, and had little experience of battle.

The sound of someone approaching through the nearby undergrowth made her stop and drop into a crouch, her fans at the ready. There was no reason to believe it was an enemy, but equally no reason it couldn't be. She stepped back into the shadows, rooted and still as stone. She heard the noise of twigs cracking underfoot, and rustling bushes. Whoever they were, they weren't used to travelling through this kind of terrain.

"There's no-one here," someone said, the voice female and familiar.

"Maybe they're all hiding?" a younger, boyish, and equally familiar voice replied.

As she watched, two people forced their way out of the tree line, and she saw at once the blue of the Water Tribe and the arrow tattoos of the Air Nomads. Aang and Katara. But how could they be here? They had left hours ago.

"Hey, you two," she said, stepping forwards, and feeling sudden amusement at the looks on their faces. She had obviously caught them off guard. "What are you doing back here?"

"Sokka's missing," Katara said, sounding worried. "We thought he'd just gotten held up fighting, but if you haven't seen him either..."

Suki felt a sudden shiver pass through her. She hadn't seen Sokka since she had kissed his cheek crouching behind that building, which meant... All sorts of unpleasant possibilities flashed through her mind – he could be lying somewhere injured, he could have been captured by the soldiers, or worse...

"I'll help you look," she said, making a quick decision. "He couldn't have gone far. I'm sure he's fine." It was as much to comfort herself as Katara, but it rang hollow, and they both knew it. Aang looked pleased though, and it struck her for the first time just how young he was. She supposed she had just been seeing the Avatar before, their hope for the future. Not a young Airbender boy, more focused on having fun.

"We should spread out and look systematically," Suki said, taking command without even thinking. "I'll take the houses on the left, Katara on the right, and Aang, you can check down the middle, okay."

Katara nodded firmly. "That sounds like a plan."

Searching was harder than it looked. Most of the huts had collapsed as the flames ate away at them, and the heat the remains were putting out made approaching them difficult. It was entirely possible that someone could be lying under the wreckage – or rather, someone's body – and it would be impossible to tell. She tried not to think about that. She should try and look at things more positively.

Suki made her way down the hill carefully, throwing glances over to the other two from time to time to check on them. With each passing minute that they found nothing, Katara's face grew more and more serious, and her eyes colder. Near the foot of the slope, near the still-smoking statue of Kyoshi, the houses were still intact. Evidently the wind had been blowing in the other direction, and from what she remembered, the Firebenders hadn't started their attack until they were further uphill.

There was something about all this that didn't feel quite right. She couldn't put her finger on it, but something was making her uneasy, and there was a prickling up her spine almost as though she was being watched. She strained her senses for any hint of danger, but there was nothing but the breeze, the crackle of small still-burning fires, and the odd noise of wood settling in the wreckage.

"Hey, Suki," someone whispered. She looked towards the sound of the voice, and her heart soared as she saw Sokka's face peering out from behind the statue's pillar. "Are you okay?"

"Me? What about you?" she asked, beckoning to Aang and Katara. "You disappeared; your sister has been worried sick. Where were you?"

Katara let out a sharp cry of joy the moment she laid eyes on her brother, and darted forward to envelop him in what looked like a bone-breaking hug. Sokka laughed and hugged her back the best he could, although there was something about his expression that seemed a little strained.

"I had to go back for my pelt – I left it in the training hut. And then everyone had disappeared. I knew you would be back eventually, so I hid out here in case the Fire Nation decided they hadn't finished the job."

His pelt. Of course. Suki had entirely forgotten that she had made him leave it behind, and a sudden stab of guilt went through her. She was so unused to the whole idea of shifters, that it hadn't even occurred to her that it could be an issue. She moved forwards to apologise, but Sokka shook her off.

"It's fine, it's fine, but we should really get going shouldn't we, I mean, right this minute, no reason to stick around."

It all sounded perfectly reasonable, so why did Suki get the impression there was something he wasn't telling them? His words had sounded breezy and unconcerned, and yet...

"No, seriously," Sokka said, more urgently, detangling himself from his sister and putting a guiding hand to her back and that of a slightly confused looking Aang. "We _need_. To go." His eyes darted between the still intact buildings, and Suki realised with a start what he was trying to say.

"It's a trap!" she yelled, snapping her fans out.

As though it had been a signal, the doors of the huts slammed open, and a sudden surge of red-clad soldiers burst out of them, swords, spears and flames at the ready. Their young commander came stomping out too, triumph gleaming in his mismatched golden eyes, one pale, one bright with a slit pupil like a cat. _Don't count your goose-chickens before they've hatched_, Suki thought, glaring at him. Although he _was_ tenacious, she had to give him that.

"Oh man, not again," Aang said, looking around rapidly. She could see him taking everything in from the corner of her eye. He had his staff ready in his hands, but it looked like the Fire Nation had brought a few extra troops with them this time, and the four of them were seriously outnumbered.

"Capture the Avatar!" With the order given, the group of soldiers began to close in on them, although warily. She guessed they had fought Aang before. Suki had to dodge a few long-range strikes from the Firebenders, and she quickly realised they were trying to force them closer together.

"You guys should get to the beach," Sokka said, quietly and rapidly from just behind her. "Aang can use his glider, Katara can change and swim away, and one of them should be able to carry you."

Suki nodded, batting away flames with her fans, and shouted to the others. "Retreat to the beach – we can get away from there."

Katara nodded at her and grabbed Aang by the back of his shirt, setting off at a run. Suki covered them as they went, her fans a ready blur in the air. It was hard work, but the Fire Nation were just as tired as the rest of them, and more weighed down with armour and weapons besides, and they soon had a lead on them.

They took a shortcut through the sparse forest leading down to the water, trying to lose their pursuers. There was more snow here for Katara to bend, and Suki was fairly confident that they wouldn't set the trees on fire to try and burn them out. They would only cut themselves off that way.

Sokka was right behind her when they broke from cover, but he stopped at the edge of the beach like he had walked into a wall.

"What are you doing?" Suki said, gesturing at him with her fans. "We have to go, you said so yourself. You need to change – Katara might not be able to help me swim by herself."

"Oh, so that's what we're doing," Aang said, flipping his glider open.

"I... I can't," Sokka said.

"Can't?" Katara said, looking suspicious. "What do you mean can't?"

"I mean I don't have my pelt," Sokka said, looking helpless. "Zuko does."

"What!" The cry tore from Katara's lips. "You mean he _captured_ you?"

Sokka nodded miserably. "I'm sorry. I had to go back for my pelt, and then I wasn't looking where I was going. I ran right into a Firebender. He used me to set a trap for you, and it nearly worked."

Suki felt her heart sank. This really _was_ her fault, no matter that Sokka had brushed it off. Katara looked as though she might cry.

"You have to leave without me," Sokka said. "As long as they have my pelt, I have to stay as their prisoner."

"I'm not going to go," Katara said, her voice shaking. "I'm not leaving you. I can't lose anyone else in our family."

"It's okay Katara," he said, pulling her into a hug. "They haven't hurt me so far. I'll be okay, and I just know I'll find a way to get my pelt back."

"Not if I rescue you first," she replied, squeezing him tightly. They broke apart trying to smile at each other, and Sokka disappeared back into the trees, doing his best to put on a brave face. Suki wanted to go after him, to apologise to him, but it was too late. He was gone, and Katara was already stripping down ready to shift.

"Just... wrap your arms around my neck," she said. "I'll pull you along."

Suki nodded, glad for the war-paint that hid her face. She needed to be strong; they were still in danger, and she couldn't afford to start crying now. Maybe later. Much later.

The water was cold, and Katara's fur was slippery and hard to grip underneath her, but at least if her face was wet, she could blame it on the waves.

* * *

><p>"I can't believe he let himself get captured by the Fire Nation." Katara paced up and down, throwing her hands into the air and making snow jump from the trees. She was trying to sound angry, but the pain was still there just below the surface. It was a way of coping that Suki felt a lot of sympathy for.<p>

"This is my fault," she said. She knew she would have to tell them eventually, and better they get it all in the air now. "I was the one who told him to leave his skin in our training hut. I thought it would be safe there, but I never realised he would have to go back for it. If he had had it with him, he wouldn't have had to go back for it, and he would never have been caught."

"You couldn't have known how important it was Suki," Aang said. "I never used to get it. That's one of the reasons I travelled so much – Gyatso said I needed to learn how important shifting was to the people of other nations. I didn't know it at the time, but now I think it was because he knew I would need to understand when they told me I was the Avatar."

Katara let out a sound that was half pain and half rage, turning away from them and staring out through the gaps in the trees at the ocean far below.

"I'm going to help you get him back Katara," Suki said. "I have to atone for my mistake somehow."

At first Katara's words were so quiet she thought she was talking to herself, but the whisper still cut through her. "He's out there, all alone. They could be doing anything to him. They could be _making_ him do anything. And I'm not strong enough to rescue him. I'm not a trained Waterbender, you're just one warrior, and Aang... Aang is the Avatar, and we can't let the Fire Nation get their hands on him. We don't have a choice. We have to keep going – all the way to the North Pole." Her shoulders trembled with suppressed emotion. "I'm going to have to abandon Sokka."

"I'm sorry," Suki said, biting her lip, knowing it wasn't enough.

"But we can't go," Aang said, looking crushed. "We _have_ to go get him. I know I can do it, I can figure out a way to get in touch with the Avatar Spirit like I did before and..."

"No, Aang," Katara said, spinning back round to face him, her fists clenched at her sides. "You're the only hope we have for ending this war, and I know that if Sokka were here, he would agree with me."

"Besides, I don't think this will be our last chance to rescue him," Suki said, the thought suddenly occurring to her. "You told me that the Fire Prince is trying to capture you. That means he's going to keep following you wherever you go, and he'll have Sokka with him. Maybe... maybe we just need to wait until the time is right..."

"You're right," Katara said, an icy determination in her voice. "We just need to have hope." She looked over at Suki. "You said 'we'. Does that mean you're coming with us?"

"If I can't make up for my mistakes now, I have to find some other way of doing it, don't I?"

Katara nodded firmly. "We _will_ get to the North Pole, and we _will_ rescue my brother along the way."

Looking at their small team, the Avatar, an untrained waterbender, and a Kyoshi Warrior, it seemed unthinkable that they could do any of that. But somehow, Katara made it sound possible. Suki felt her spirits rise a little. Katara was right. They had to have hope.


	4. Chapter 4

**AN:** A slightly longer chapter this week. I have to credit Kimberly T's influence at least slightly for the scene in the brig, although I suspect Zuko is not being quite as nice as you might have hoped at this point. He has a long way to go...

**Chapter Four**

The soldiers were subdued all the way back to the ship, and several times Sokka noticed Liu Dan stealing anxious glances over at Prince Grumpy-pants. He could see why – the guy's mood looked even worse than usual. In fact, he could almost swear that the air above his shoulders was rippling with heat, which seemed like it would be a bad sign with Firebenders. Now that the sun was down it was hard to tell though.

Nobody spoke, not even when they got back on board. From the look on Lieutenant Jee's face, they didn't need to. The clear lack of a captured Avatar made it pretty obvious they'd failed, and Sokka tried to take a little pride and satisfaction in that fact. He hadn't been able to say anything to the others directly – Zuko had ordered him not to – but Suki had managed to pick up on his signals, and they had managed to get away. Of course, none of that would have been necessary if he hadn't gotten himself captured in the first place...

Prince Zuko tossed the reins of his lizard thing to the nearest soldier and stomped off. A collective sigh escaped from everyone else once he was out of earshot.

"He's been bad enough as it is, I hate to think what he'll be like now," Liu Dan said under her breath. She dismounted, and this time Sokka was quick to follow her. His undignified scrambling was better than falling flat on his back again. She pulled him over to Jee, who looked down at him sternly.

It was strange. From what he had done –or threatened to do – to Katara back at their village, Sokka had expected to see something different in the officer's eyes. Hate maybe. Or disgust. But despite the glare Sokka was giving him, all he got in return was indifference.

"What do you want me to do with the prisoner, sir?" the Firebender asked him.

Jee studied him for a moment longer. "Put him in the brig until the Prince decides what to do with him," he said at last.

The brig. Great, that sounded like a really fun place. But at least he might be able to get some rest before he had to feel Zuko putting his hands all over his pelt again. Sokka couldn't help but shiver slightly at the memory. It had felt... he wasn't sure there were human words for how it felt. Like someone had dipped into the very heart of him and dug their claws in and said _this is what you will do, and say, and think_, and he had been powerless to stop it. Like being caught up in a current and pulled out to sea.

And then Zuko had ordered him to look at him, and it was like his head was full of fog. Those golden eyes had seemed to be glowing, almost hypnotising him. Like an ice-cobra mesmerising its prey. Telling him wordlessly to forget about the feeling of wrongness in his soul, to just go along with it. He had no idea how long he had sat there while the Prince explained the plan and gave him his orders. The spell had broken as soon as bare skin had left his pelt, but the effects remained.

And he knew, he _knew_, that it was going to happen again. Zuko had said they didn't have supplies to feed a prisoner, but he was still too potentially useful for them to kill – he hoped – and he had no illusions that they would just let him go. They would probably have him earning his keep, and for that they would use his pelt to keep him under control. He _had _to figure out a way to get it back. He wasn't sure how much more of that awful experience he could take.

* * *

><p>Setting fire to things would not help. Zuko told himself this over and over again, but it was so hard to keep a lid on his anger. It wasn't <em>fair<em>. It wasn't fair to be so close, twice in one day, and _still_ come away a failure. Was he really so pathetic that Agni could drop his prey in his lap, like a parent bringing home a cub's first kill, and he _still_ couldn't catch the boy. The Avatar couldn't be more than twelve!

He supposed he should thank the spirits for that much. If even _this_ was out of his reach, just think how much worse it would have been to face the man he had expected, old and powerful and master of the elements. His father had been right to send him away. He was pathetic.

"They knew it was a trap," he said, clenching his hands into fists and feeling his nails cutting into his skin. "The Water Tribe boy... he must have told them somehow."

"Unfortunately there are many ways to find loopholes in orders one does not wish to follow," Uncle said, setting out his tea set and putting a hand on the pot to boil the water.

"Only when doing things the easy way. That's what you said before, isn't it Uncle?" Zuko turned to look at him.

"That is true, but there are reasons that very few people are willing to find another way."

"I don't care about that. If there _is _a way to make him do what I say, without wriggling out of it, then tell me. It may be my only hope of catching the Avatar."

Uncle sighed, motioning for him to join him at the table and setting a cup out in front of him. The scent of jasmine soon began to fill the air. "Very well Prince Zuko. I will tell you. But you are not going to like it."

"I don't _like_ being banished! Tell me."

"There are two ways," Uncle said, settling into 'old man imparting his wisdom' mode. "The first is easier for a Firebender than for any other bender, but it is permanent, and it is... unpleasant." From the look on Uncle's face, he had been thinking of a stronger word than that. "You must use your fire to brand their pelt. Your name is considered traditional, though a handprint will do."

Zuko closed his eyes, feeling his stomach heave. He felt sick. Branding someone, like a farmer with a cow-hippo? Branding a _shifter_? His eyes flicked to the box on his table. No. No fire. Not after... _No_.

"What's the other way?" he said, ignoring the way his voice rasped painfully in his dry throat. Uncle nudged a cup of tea towards him, trying to be subtle.

"The second way is painful," Iroh said, looking grave. "For both of you. But it can be undone, and in many ways, it is better. It will require sacrifice. Zuko, my nephew, are you sure you want to know about this?"

He nodded. It couldn't possibly be as bad as the first option.

After his Uncle had finished, he sat back, thinking it over. Well. It wasn't anything like the other choice, but it didn't make him feel any better either. And yet... Agni, he had no other option.

* * *

><p>Flying north from Kyoshi Island was a silent and miserable affair. Katara felt as though she could hardly move, as if every time she tried it just made the pain well up inside her again. Sokka wasn't here. However bad she felt, surely he would be feeling worse. Whatever they were doing to him... it was not knowing that was the worst part.<p>

Suki looked just as miserable. _She should_, Katara thought, trying to make it sound fierce, but it didn't really come out right. Suki hadn't known something like this could happen. She had admitted herself she had never even met a shapeshifter before. How could she know what having your pelt in someone else's hands meant? That didn't stop Katara from wanting to blame her, _trying_ to blame her, but deep down inside she knew she couldn't. The emotion was hollow.

The map Gran-Gran had given them before they left was very old, from her journey south many years ago, but the shape of the land masses hadn't changed. They had enough food from Kyoshi Island to make it over the wide expanse of sea to Jiangsu Province in the Earth Kingdom. It lay north-west of the city of Omashu, a wide bulge of land inked in light green on the buffalo-yak skin parchment. They had spent a few hours working out their journey in the early morning light the day after they left Suki's village. _After you left Sokka_, her mind supplied. She forced the thought away.

Aang had wanted to visit Omashu on their way north, but although it wouldn't be that far out of their way, Katara had learnt enough about him in the short time they had known each other to realise a 'short visit' might not live up to its name, and they couldn't afford distractions now. The sooner they reached the North Pole, the sooner Aang could learn Waterbending, the sooner she could learn the war forms of the Northern Tribe, and the sooner they could try and rescue Sokka. Hama had taught her well, but she had anticipated having a long time to perfect each technique before moving onto the next. She wasn't good enough to beat Zuko. Not yet.

It took them four days to reach Jiangsu. Each night she bent a wide platform of ice for Appa to sleep on, his thick fur keeping out the cold. It got warmer as they went north, and she had to get up several times in the dark to reinforce the platform. She didn't mind. She wasn't sleeping very well as it was. When they finally came in sight of land, it was still a relief though, and they quickly brought Appa down to land in a small forest clearing with a stream nearby for fresh water.

The busy-work of making camp kept Katara's thoughts occupied for some time. It would be best to let Appa get some proper rest, she thought. They were making good time, and there were various small chores she needed to do, like fixing the rips in her clothes from the fight on Kyoshi Island and washing their socks and underthings. If she focused on the little things, money and food and laundry, it meant she didn't have to think about the bigger picture.

"I'll go and hunt for food," Suki said once they were settled. "It would make a nice change from cured meat." She looked rather uncomfortable with the silence that had fallen on the camp. Aang kept trying to be light-hearted, but Katara wasn't in any mood to be cheered up.

"You do that," she said, and went back to ignoring her, sitting down on a dry patch of earth to start the sewing.

"Hey, do you think you could find me some fruit or berries too?" Aang asked, before picking up Momo and holding him up. "I bet Momo would like some too, wouldn't you Momo?" The lemur chirped, and wriggled out of the Airbender's hands, leaping onto his head and curling up there. Suki stifled a giggle.

"I'll do my best," she said. "I won't be gone long."

Katara made a non-committal sort of noise. Suki could do what she liked as far as she was concerned. She still hadn't figured out how to feel about her. The girl honestly wanted to help them, but that didn't mean it didn't remind Katara of Sokka's absence every time she looked at her. It would be nice to get rid of her, just for a little while.

* * *

><p>Suki came back to camp with a brace of pigeon-rabbits slung over her shoulder. The woods round these parts were similar enough to the ones at home, and she had learned to hunt in them when she was only a child. She didn't miss the look of distaste Aang gave her catch, but unfortunately she hadn't been able to find anything that might suit his tastes more.<p>

"I'm sorry Aang," she said. "There's not much growing wild out here."

"That's okay," he replied, smiling. "I'll manage."

"We could always go into town," Katara suggested, looking up from her work. "We flew over that village on the way here. It can't be more than a mile or two."

"We _will_ need some more supplies soon," Suki began to say, before she was cut off by a loud boom that echoed suddenly through the forest. "What was that?"

The noise came again, and several times more in quick succession. "It's coming from over there," Aang said, jumping up in excitement.

"We should be careful," Suki said, but Aang and Katara had already run off. She made sure her fans were at their place by her side, then stuffed the pigeon-rabbits into one of the empty canvas bags. "Stay here," she said to Appa, before heading off after the others.

They hadn't gone far – there was a small canyon nearby, carved out by a long since dried up stream. Aang and Katara were crouched behind a fallen tree, watching a boy in green... Earthbending. Suki's eyes widened as she realised what he was doing. She had only seen Earthbenders rarely when they visited the village; it had been years since the last one born on the island.

"We should go meet him," Aang said, peering up over the mossy trunk.

"We need to be careful," Suki said. "We don't know who he is – he might not be very happy to see us."

But it seemed Katara hadn't heard a word of that. Quite how she had moved so fast Suki had no idea, but she was already wide out in the open, putting her hands to her mouth and shouting at the stranger. "Hello there. I'm Katara. What's your name?"

The boy swivelled round to look at them and dropped the rock he was bending, taken by surprise. He let out a gasp and immediately made a break for it, bringing down a small avalanche of stone into the canyon to stop them following him.

"I wonder what's got him so spooked," Suki said, while Aang waved cheerfully after him.

"I only wanted to talk to him," Katara said, looking bewildered.

"Well that guy's gotta be running somewhere," Aang said, "and there's that village nearby."

"You're right," Suki said. "I don't like the fact that he thought we were a threat. It means there's probably something around here to be afraid of, and we should find out what it is before we end up running right into it."

"The village it is!" Aang looked a lot more optimistic about that than Suki thought he had any right to. Although he was probably just looking forward to being able to buy some food that wasn't meat.

* * *

><p>His knife was very sharp. The Earth Kingdom steel was finer than most of what the Earthbenders' forges put out, and it held an edge well. He had spent hours honing it and trying to prepare himself for what was to come. Now he tested it against a scrap of leather, and it cut like one of Medic Xiang's blades. But it was still going to hurt.<p>

He wished Iroh could be here to do it for him, but Uncle had been very clear. By your own hand, or the spirits will not accept your sacrifice. The key to the carved wooden box was on a chain around his neck, and as he pulled it out he reminded himself that this could be his best chance at catching the Avatar. A momentary pain to finally win back his honour and his place on the throne.

The lock was well-oiled, and opened without a sound. Gently Zuko lifted the lid and took out the carefully wrapped package inside. The outer layer was silk lined inside with soft wool to absorb the impact of any jostling about the sea might cause. He unfolded it, laying it out over his lap. Inside, the blackened scales of his skin gleamed dully in the candlelight.

Sometimes he would take it out just to look at it, to remind himself what he had lost. It was ragged and burned through in places, leaving holes that threatened to tear and crumble away further at their charred edges. However there were still areas where it had survived his father's rage, and the original glossy red-gold colour remained. He got that from his mother, and perhaps a little from his Uncle as well, instead of the deeper indigo of his father, or the flame-pale blue of his sister.

It was lucky for him that these parts had survived, or he would never be able to do this. Steeling himself, he chose a strip from the side of the neck, and held it taut, readying the knife. Fast, he had to do this fast before he had time to really feel it. He clenched his teeth, closed his eyes, and pulled the blade down.

He had underestimated the toughness of dragon-skin. For all that the knife was sharp, the force he had used was not enough to slice through his scales properly. Pain exploded white-hot down the side of his neck, as though he had been stabbed there, and he couldn't help but let out a whimper through clenched teeth. Looking down he saw he had only managed to cut through a few inches before the blade had caught half-through a scale.

_You can do this Zuko_, he told himself, wiggling the knife free. _You've had worse than this. It's only for a little while, and it'll be worth it, you know it will_. This time he tried to keep his eyes on what he was doing, forcing the agony of it away as he tried to saw off the narrow strip of his hide, long strokes of the blade that tried to cut between the scales, not through them.

It was hard, and it hurt so much he could hardly see though tears of pain. Several times he had to stop and just breath, trying to get himself in an almost meditative state where he wouldn't be able to feel what he was doing to himself. Uncle had been right – only the truly desperate would do this when the other options were so much easier. _This is worth it,_ he repeated over and over in his head, reminding himself of what was at stake here. _This is worth it. For your honour. For your Father. For the Avatar._

Finally the strip of skin came away in his hands, a little ragged where he had cut it, but big enough for what he needed. Zuko dropped the knife from pale and shaking fingers. The burning pain in his neck was less now, but still there, like the time he had cut his hand open after pushing too quickly for Piandao to move him on to training with real blades. He raised his hand to feel it, and touched something wet. Blood – a long streak of it running from a shallow slice along his skin. It wasn't deep, but he had never heard of an injury to a shifter's hide being mirrored on their human form like this. But then, he had never seen someone cut a piece off their skin before.

Carefully he wrapped his dragon-skin back in its protective layers and locked it away again. The carved wooden dragons twining around each other seemed to mock him. What did it matter that he had done this anyway? It wasn't as though he would ever be able to wear his hide again.

His head swam when he tried to stand, but a few moments leaning against the table and breathing deeply let him get to his feet without falling over. The first part of this was over. At least the second would not be so painful.

* * *

><p>Sokka was woken from an uneasy sleep by the noise of the outer door opening. He scrambled to his feet and peered through the bars at the figure outlined against the light coming from the corridor. From the height and build, it had to be the Prince. Sokka scowled, wondering what he was here for. Nothing good, he was sure.<p>

Zuko, when he stepped into the brig and came close enough to see, didn't look so good. He was pale – paler than usual – and there was blood on the side of his neck. Sokka was startled to see it. Was this guy so unpopular with his crew that they were trying to bump him off? Of course, he could understand the urge, but Fire Nation soldiers were supposed to be perfect little automatons, weren't they, always following orders?

"Do you have a name, peasant?" Prince Angry-pants said. He had Sokka's pelt draped over one arm, though at least at the moment his bare skin wasn't touching it. He was holding something else in his other hand too, something vaguely shiny.

"Everyone's got a name."

Zuko didn't seem to be in the mood to appreciate that kind of comment. "What's _your_ name?" he said, practically growling.

"It's Sokka, alright. Son of Hakoda. Don't know why you care."

"I don't _care_. I just needed to know."

"Why?" Sokka asked, suddenly suspicious.

"You'll find out soon enough."

Yeah, that didn't sound bad at _all_. At least they'd let him change back into his Water Tribe clothes. This experience would probably be even worse if he was still in the Kyoshi warrior dress. At least he felt a bit more like himself.

"Come over here." Zuko said. There was a wooden bench set against the wall, and the Fire Prince pulled it over so that he could sit outside the bars to the cell. Sokka didn't feel so great about this, but his pelt was right there. So close. Even if grabbing it wouldn't let him escape – he was still locked up after all – it would be so nice just to be able to feel it again, to get it out of the Firebender's hands.

"Alright," he said warily. This close up, he could see that the blood was still oozing slowly from a long gash on the side of Zuko's neck. It looked like someone had come at him with a knife. Zuko laid his pelt out, only a brief brush of hands on fur, but it still made Sokka shiver. The strip of red stuff he laid over the neck. It looked unpleasantly like a collar.

"So now what?"

"You can touch it if you like. I know you want to."

Okay, this seemed a _lot_ like a trap. He just couldn't work out what kind. Was Zuko going to tear it away from him the moment his fingers touched it, just to torment him? Kindness didn't seem like something Prince Grumpy was very familiar with. And yet... his pelt was right there. How could he not?

He stretched out his hand through the bars hesitantly, aware of Zuko's eyes on him. When nothing happened, he laid his hand on the short fur, and just breathed. It was like pouring water on some dry part of himself he hadn't even been aware of. His eyes half-closed in contentment.

He wasn't sure how long Zuko let this go on, except that it was longer than he had been expecting. But then a strong hand was grasping his wrist, and he came out of the almost-trance with a start as something sharp was drawn across his palm.

"Hey!" he yelped, sudden stinging pain bursting into being.

Zuko mumbled something under his breath that sounded oddly like, "Sorry about this," before holding his cut hand over the strip of red – were those scales? The blood dripped down and he spoke, enunciating clearly. "Sokka, son of Hakoda, of the Southern Water Tribe."

Something glowed, and Zuko let go of his wrist, reaching up to wet his fingers in his own blood before smearing it over the same place, continuing, "Zuko, son of Ozai and Ursa, Prince of the Fire Nation." The light grew brighter, and Sokka watched in something like horror as the strip of dragon-hide – for it couldn't be anything else – seemed to sink into his pelt and merge with it seamlessly.

"It's done." Zuko said, getting to his feet. "You might as well keep hold of this. I don't need it to control you anymore." He pressed the pelt into Sokka's shocked hands, and left without looking back.

"Uh. What just happened?"

The universe did not see fit to answer him.

* * *

><p>After Haru got them settled in the barn, Katara noticed that instead of heading back down to the village, he set off along a path along the cliffs. The sun was setting, and the air was calm and golden. It would have been peaceful if she hadn't known the threat of the Fire Nation was all too real, and all too close by.<p>

She spent a few minutes unpacking, but her mind wasn't on the task. She wasn't the only one to have a family member held captive by the Fire Nation – Haru had had his father taken away. She wanted to ask him if it got any easier to bear, if you wore yourself out and just couldn't spare the energy to keep on worrying about whatever might be happening to them. If he had ever tried to rescue him. He would be able to understand what she was feeling right now in a way that Aang and Suki just couldn't.

"I'm going to go talk to Haru," she said, making up her mind and putting down her sleeping bag.

"Okay," Suki said. "We can get things set up here."

She didn't have to go a long way before she found him. Haru was sitting at the edge of the hill's slope, staring out though the forest to the coast and the sea. She sat down beside him, sweeping damp from the ground with a flick of her hand.

"I'm sorry for what I said earlier. I didn't know about your father."

"That's okay," Haru said, looking over at her. "It's funny. The way you were talking back in the store, it reminded me of him."

She looked away, a little embarrassed, and aching oddly inside. Sokka was always going on about her 'hope' speeches. "Thanks."

"My father was very courageous," Haru said. "When the Fire Nation first came here, he and the other Earthbenders, even with the non-benders who could fight, were still outnumbered ten to one. They stood up to them anyway."

"He sounds like a great man."

Haru nodded, his eyes glistening slightly in the sun. "Afterwards they rounded up everyone who was still alive and found out who were shifters. There are a lot of people in the village who would rise up if they could, but the Fire Nation have their skins locked up in their camp, and they can't do anything. My father and the others were taken away somewhere. We haven't seen them since." He paused, and picked up a pair of small stones, bending them in circles above his palm.. "In a way it's worse. They could be dead. At least I still get to see my uncle, and his friends."

"That's why you have to hide your Earthbending." Katara said. "They would take you away too."

"Actually they wouldn't," Haru said, with a pained smile. "I'm a shifter too, same as Uncle Gan. But if the Fire Nation knew that, they wouldn't even wait to see if I was a threat, they would just take my hide away, and that would be that."

Katara tried to swallow past the sudden lump in her throat. "So you have to cut off two parts of yourself, not just one," she said softly. "That must be awful."

"If it were just the shifting, I wouldn't mind so much. The problem is, the only way I can feel close to my father now is when I practise my bending." He dropped the stones into his hand and crushed them to sand. "He taught me everything I know. Even with the risk... how can I not do this?"

"My brother Sokka..." She paused. The hurt was still so raw... but this was what she had wanted to talk about, wasn't it? "He's a shifter too. The Fire Nation captured him a few days ago on Kyoshi Island. I just... can't bear to think of them touching his pelt." She felt the tears threatening to come again and blinked them away.

"I'm sorry." It wasn't the rote kind of sorry either; she could tell he really meant it.

"Does it ever get any better?"

She didn't need to specify what 'it' was; he knew. "A little," he confessed. "But it's always there, gnawing at you. I think a lot about trying to rescue him, but no-one knows where he is except the Fire Nation, and even if I did know..."

"You couldn't do it alone," Katara said. That was the problem. It was so easy to feel hopeless against the might of the Fire Nation Army. What could one girl do? But she _had_ to have hope, in herself, in Sokka, and in Aang, or it just wouldn't be possible to go on.

They sat in companionable silence for some while longer before Haru turned to look at her, smiling. "You're a selkie, right? Would you like to see what I look like with my skin on?"

"Of course," Katara said, perking up. "But... if it's so dangerous..."

"We're the only people here," Haru said, standing up. "I don't normally have my pelt with me, in case one of the patrols search me, but before you guys saw me training in the forest, I was planning on spending some time stretching my legs." He untied the sash of his tunic and shrugged it off, shortly followed by his other clothes. He had tied his pelt round him in a way she hadn't seen before, hanging down his back with the limbs tied on to his own with loose cord.

"Doesn't that cut into your skin when you shift?" she asked, gesturing at the string.

"This? No – for me there's not much change in size. But wearing my skin like this means it's always close by, plus there aren't any lumps under my clothes that might give me away."

"That's a really good idea," Katara said. A pity that flippers were a _lot_ bigger than human arms.

Haru's change was swift and seamless. As with all shifters, it was so quick it was like seeing two paintings put on top of one another, and then he was standing on four legs, his head raised proudly in the air.

"Oh," Katara said, taking in the black and tan striped fur, the curving horns, short snout and long fuzzy tail. "You're a tiger-deer!"

* * *

><p>Katara rose a few hours after dawn the next morning and went outside to fetch water to cook the rice porridge for breakfast, still thinking fondly of the sight of Haru, dappled in the light of the setting sun. There was a pump close by, and she took the chance to practise bending water up from somewhere she couldn't see. Once the others were awake, they could take turns to go down to the river to bathe. Although she had enjoyed spending time with Haru, and he at least understood what she was going through, she wasn't sure it was wise to stay at this village for very long. Maybe they should buy some supplies and move on. There was nothing to stop them coming back later on, after Aang had learned Waterbending.<p>

Looking up, she noticed Haru's mother Biming standing a little way away, looking up the valley to the Fire Nation encampment. Katara frowned, wondering what she was so focused on. Hopefully the soldiers were staying up there – it would be awful if somehow they had gotten wind that the Avatar was here.

Biming must have noticed her presence, for she turned round, and Katara saw her eyes were brimming with unshed tears. She felt the water jar fall from numb fingers. Something terrible must have happened. Haru...

* * *

><p>"The Fire Nation captured Haru!" Aang and Suki both looked up in alarm at her sudden entrance.<p>

"What?" Aang asked, eyes wide.

"Someone must have been watching last night. It's all my fault, he would never have shifted if I hadn't been here."

"Slow down Katara," Suki said, putting out a calming hand. "Tell us what happened."

"Biming said they came for him at midnight. They searched the whole house and found his pelt wrapped up under the floorboards. After that... they took him up to the fort for questioning and now he's as much as prisoner as everyone else." She wanted to cry. Sokka and now Haru? Had the spirits put a curse on her, that wherever she went horrible things would happen to people she cared about? Had she done something terrible in a past life?

"This isn't your fault Katara," Suki said, stepping forward to grab her shoulders. "Maybe we couldn't do anything last time, but I have an idea to help this town."

It seemed too good to be true, but... "Tell me."

* * *

><p>Suki kept a close eye on the guard's back as she followed Katara down the rope hanging from Appa's saddle. So far he hadn't been very attentive, barely moving from his post at the wall and yawning several times as he rested his head on his hands, leaning on the ramparts. It was dark enough that Appa wouldn't be noticed against the clear night sky, especially since they had blackened his fur with mud from the river. He had been surprisingly patient about that.<p>

Aang pulled up the rope once they were both on the ground and came down using his glider, silent as a wolf-bat. In dark clothes and with the last of Suki's black paint slathered all over their faces, they looked like she imagined spirits might, only their eyes and teeth shining white in the darkness.

"Haru said they keep the skins in a storeroom on the north side of the fort," Suki said, pointing between the buildings. They had come down just out of sight of the walls, but the compound was set out in a rectangle with a parade ground in the centre, and they would have to cross it without being spotted to get there. "I can't see any guards apart from the ones of the outer wall, but we should still be careful."

"Cool," Aang said, "we'll float like butterfly-bees on the breeze." He flapped his arms, as if pretending he had wings.

To the north were the cliffs, steep enough to deter even an Earthbender, and the moon had not yet risen above them, leaving them in deep darkness. The mountain curved round to east and west in a great crescent, with the only way up to the fort from the south. That would be where most of the guards were, looking outward. Suki had no idea if the storeroom itself would be guarded, but she was sure they would be able to sneak close enough to see without being detected. There were few torches lit at this time in the morning, and it probably didn't occur to the Fire Nation to keep them burning all night. Why bother, when half your soldiers could provide their own illumination?

They crept silently between the buildings – one of them smelled to Suki's nose rather like an outhouse. On the north side of the parade ground was a long building hung with red banners, what looked like barracks on the left, and stables on the right. Haru had mentioned the troop here had a couple of komodo rhinos that the officers rode.

Whilst waiting for night to fall Haru's Uncle Gan and his group of friends, who were often called up to the fort for manual labour and thus had opportunities to overhear the soldiers talking, had told them what they knew of how the war was going. Apparently this fort had been built about two years ago to guard this whole section of coastline as the Fire Nation began expanding their colonies southwards. Jiangsu Province had held out a long time under Queen Hui-ying, but with her death, and neighbouring Omashu busy fighting elsewhere, it had finally fallen. Now there was a stalemate, the Fire Nation focused on Ba Sing Se and constantly repulsed from its walls, content to try and wear them down rather than spend valuable resources quelling guerrillas in other Provinces of the Earth Kingdom. The soldiers here had grown lazy for a lack of opposition.

There were more shadows below the eaves of the stables, so Suki led them that way. At one point she had to signal them to freeze whilst someone came out of the barracks and made his way to the outhouse, but he never looked their way. She didn't want to risk it when he came back out again though, so they took the last few yards at a near run.

The storeroom was tucked between the fancy-looking building and the north wall, and was far better lit than she had seen so far. She turned to look at Aang.

"Do you think you can blow a few of those lanterns out?" she asked.

"Sure I can," Aang said, though not as quietly as she would have liked. "Watch this."

He called up the wind with wide circling movements of his hands, and when he breathed out and shoved forwards, the flames flickered erratically and were extinguished. Suki couldn't help grinning, and Katara whispered, "Good work Aang."

They would have to move quickly now in case someone noticed the sudden change. Suki motioned them forward and they ducked out of cover, staying low as they made their way from shadow to shadow. There was no sudden cry or uproar that would have signalled their discovery, and the trio quickly reached the door. Naturally, it was locked.

"I've never tried to pick a lock before," Suki admitted. "But I'll give it a try, unless one of you guys can do something with your bending?"

"Let me," Katara said, stepping forward and opening the cap on her water-skin. With small wafting motions of her fingers, she coaxed a thin stream of water into the key hole, and then spread her fingers to freeze it. With a sweep of her wrist the ice spun in the lock with a nasty shearing sound, and the bolt slid open.

"That's... more violent than I was expecting."

"Who cares?" Katara said. "We don't have time to be subtle."

"Fine with me," Aang said, pushing the door open and peering inside. "Yup, this is the right place all right."

The storeroom was dark inside, but Suki didn't need much light to make out the shelves of carefully labelled pelts on either side. "Grab as many as you can," she said quietly. "We don't have time to sort them out here. Aang, go outside and call Appa."

As the young Airbender headed back outside and they heard a soft whoosh of air as his glider took off, Suki and Katara pulled out the bags they had tied about their waists, and set about filling them up. Suki noticed the careful way in which the Waterbender was handling them, and tried to mimic what she was doing. After what had happened to Sokka, the last thing she wanted was for Katara to think she was showing disrespect to something that was clearly so precious to them.

"I know this is war," Katara said softly. "But I just don't understand how they could do this. There have to be shifters in the Fire Nation – they must _know_ what it's like."

"I don't think they care," Suki replied. "From all the stories of the war we heard, the dragons are mostly nobles and generals, the people who started this in the first place. They say that's part of how they got to the Air Temples in the first place."

"I hate them. They killed my mother, my father left us to fight them, and now I've even lost my brother." Her hands closed into fists, and Suki was glad there wasn't any water around or something violent would undoubtedly be happening.

"I know," she said, trying to be comforting. "Even though Kyoshi Island tried to stay neutral, that didn't stop the Fire Nation from raiding us occasionally. Of course, they said it was just pirates, and that if we agreed to the Fire Lord's rule their army would protect us, but we knew they were lying."

"You've lost people too, haven't you," Katara said, looking at her with sudden realisation.

"There's a reason none of the Kyoshi warriors are older than I am." Suki shrugged, and started to string the full sacks over her shoulders. "Come on. Appa should be here by now."

"Everyone's lost something to the Fire Nation." Katara said it so quietly that Suki wasn't sure she had been meant to hear it.

"But now we're giving something back." And that might not win the war, but it was a start.

* * *

><p>"You could come with us you know," Katara said, after they had returned all the pelts and helped Haru and the other shifters to kick the Fire Nation out of town. "We could always use another friend on this trip."<p>

"Thanks for the offer Katara," Haru said, smiling. "But we have a plan to go after my dad and the other Earthbenders. We caught one of the officers before he managed to escape, and we're going to find out from him where they've been sent. We've got the strength to actually do get them back now." He pulled her into a hug. "I just hope you can find a way to do the same for your brother."

"I really hope so too. Thanks Haru. What you've said has helped me a lot."

She climbed up to join Aang and Suki on Appa's back, and as they rose up through the air, Haru and his mother and uncle dwindling away beneath them, she made a promise to herself. If their little gang were capable of helping to free the shifters of Haru's village, they could free Sokka too. And no matter what, she would find a way to do so.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: **Thanks for the reviews everyone. Bluetiger, to answer your point, Zuko's dragon-skin is basically non-functional at this point, and to him, any extra damage no longer matters, because he doesn't think he'll ever be able to wear it again. Also, re Ozai, he wouldn't be able to control Zuko. There's a difference between branding something and setting it on fire to try and destroy it.

**Chapter Five**

Zuko fell asleep almost the moment he got back to his room. His head felt fuzzy and weak, and he was tired all over. The side of his neck itched where the blood had dried there, but he simply didn't have the energy to do anything about it. He dozed fitfully, half aware of a strange kind of buzz, a sensation of cold on the edge of his mind. Each time he turned to find a more comfortable position, his neck hurt more, so eventually he just burrowed down under his blanket, shivering.

He must have fallen asleep properly at some point, because he awoke to find his Uncle sitting by his bed, cleaning his cut with a wet cloth. He blinked and twisted enough to look up at him.

"How will I know if it's working?" he asked. His voice came out croaky, and he scowled.

"I am afraid I cannot answer that," Uncle said, leaning closer to examine the wound. "Hmm. This may need stitches."

"It's fine," Zuko said, batting his hand away. "Why can't you tell me?"

"Well I have never done it myself, so I do not know what it would feel like. I have only heard second-hand accounts."

"And what do those _accounts_ tell you?" He still felt oddly cold, and the blankets weren't much help. It was strange – his skin was warm enough, but the chill was somewhere inside, like swallowing ice.

Uncle noticed his shivering, and put a hand to his brow. "You do not _feel_ feverish nephew. Is something wrong?"

"I just feel... cold. And strange."

"Ah." His Uncle sat back again, looking satisfied. "Then I would say that it is working."

"Working? I'm freezing!"

"That will pass," Uncle said, patting his shoulder. "But he is Water Tribe. It is natural that he would feel a little... chilly, to one of our Nation."

"Feel... what are you talking about Uncle?"

"The link that has been formed between you two. It is what will allow you to influence him, and command him. As I understand it, it has the handy benefit of letting you keep track of him."

Now that Uncle mentioned it, if he concentrated on it, the sensation did seem to be stronger from one direction; down and forward, roughly where the brig would be. "It had better not stay like this for long," he said, trying to conserve heat by curling up even more. "This is getting old quickly."

"Don't worry, my nephew." Uncle said, smiling in a comforting sort of way. "You stay here and get your rest. I am sure by tomorrow morning you will feel fit and healthy again."

* * *

><p>Sokka spent most of that night curled up clutching his pelt, just enjoying the sensation of touching it again, feeling the short fur rubbing against his cheek. Whatever Zuko had done to him, he wasn't feeling any different, at least not yet. He slept well, used to the rocking of the boat on the sea from fishing trips in his canoe, and longer hunts with his father in the days before he and the other warriors had left.<p>

The next morning he was woken by one of the soldiers bringing him breakfast – a salty porridge with a few scraps of fish which he devoured eagerly. After licking out the bowl, he sat back against the cool metal wall and examined the piece of dragon-skin that was now attached to his pelt. It was hard and warm to the touch, and seemed to have almost melted into the fur on either side of it. Digging his fingernails in proved that he wasn't going to be able to remove it that way.

It must be Zuko's dragon-skin. Whatever weird magic he used, it seemed he wanted to be able to make him to what he said without having to touch his pelt, which would probably be convenient for him. But just having it there didn't seem to be having the same unpleasant, hypnotic effect. Not that he was going to even pretend to understand how this was going to work. He had a hard enough time with Katara's Waterbending. This was just beyond the pale.

After Katara had helped Aang get off that boat – he was man enough to admit he hadn't really contributed to that, still being laid up with a broken foot at the time – the kid had told them about finding the sleeping dragon in one of the cabins. Going by the rest of his story, it couldn't have been Zuko, so that meant there were at least two shifters on board. He wondered if that meant anything. From everything he had seen of the Fire Nation, from their raids to the crew now, it was clear that they weren't like the Water Tribe. Sokka had never heard of someone from the South Pole _not_ being a selkie. Just how rare were the dragon-folk?

It was hard to tell time down here, but it felt like about an hour before someone came down to the brig again. It was the Firebender, Liu Dan. She unlocked the door and motioned for him to step out.

"Since I caught you, it seems I get to keep you out of trouble from now on," she said, not sounding too happy about it. "Come on. Until we get a chance to use you as bait again, you've been seconded to the cleaning staff."

Sokka would have groaned at that news, but he didn't want to get whacked on the head again. He tucked his pelt inside his parka and followed Liu Dan out of the cell and back through the ship. Instead of going up on deck, she took him towards the back of the boat, and they stopped outside a room from which delicious smells were escaping. Sokka sniffed the air and his stomach growled. After all this excitement, one little bowl of porridge just wouldn't cut it.

"I _know _you were fed this morning," Liu Dan said.

"Hey, I'm a growing boy," Sokka replied defensively. The Firebender sighed and pushed the door open.

"These are the kitchens," she said. "The head cook is Fa Xu, and I recommend you don't try to steal any scraps of food while you're in here if you want to stay attached to your fingers." The way she said it, he really couldn't tell if she was being serious. He hoped not, but who could tell with the Fire Nation? Inside, the air was hot and rich with the smell of rice and meat and unfamiliar spices. Pots and pans hung off hooks either side of their heads as Liu Dan led him between polished metal tables and big box-like things with doors in the front. There were pipes coming out of the wall and leading down to some of big metal cubes, and he could feel the heat coming off them as he passed.

"Your job," she continued, dragging him over to a deep basin. "Is to wash up. I'm sure the concept is familiar even to you Water Tribe barbarians."

"Yeah," Sokka said, looking at the heap of cooking stuff that was already piled up to one side. "So what do you guys do for water? At home we'd just get a handful of snow, but I guess you don't have a lot of that round here."

The Firebender sighed and leaned over him to demonstrate a lever attached to a pipe that jutted out from the wall just above the basin. "On, off," she said, as water came pouring out of it. "That's ice-melt, you'll need to put some on to boil before you get started. Or is that too complicated for you?"

"Huh," Sokka said, ignoring the insult. "Pretty cool set-up you've got here."

The Firebender looked less pleased with that than he expected. "What, did you have better back in your little ice tents?"

"No, no, cool means good," Sokka said, quailing under her rather intimidating gaze. "Honestly, cool is a compliment."

"Oh," she said, with the dawning light of understand. "Well, try not to say that again. That's an insult in the Fire Nation."

"Well, what should I say?"

"Say it's hot of course."

And with that minor lesson on cross-cultural differences, she left him to it.

* * *

><p>For the next few days Sokka spent most of his time in the kitchens, fetching and carrying and sweeping the floor when he wasn't scrubbing gunk out of pots and pans. For the most part the other staff ignored him when they weren't barking orders, but at least he was well fed, and whatever Liu Dan had said, Fa Xu didn't seem to mind giving him a little extra. The big cook had seemed to take a liking to him, for some reason. At least he didn't have to sleep in the brig any more. They gave him a bunk with the rest of the cleaning crew, who swept, and washed corridors and kept the deck clear. He even had a little locker for his stuff.<p>

It was hot work, particularly after the chill of home, and he ended up asking for something else to wear instead of his furs just so he wouldn't faint halfway through washing up and drown in the basin. Knowing how the universe disliked him, that would totally happen. They gave him a red-brown tunic and some loose trousers. He kept his own boots though. It was decent enough, even though he didn't like the colour.

Two days after leaving Kyoshi Island, he was called up to see Zuko again. The Prince was with Lieutenant Jee up in the control room – well, it had a lot of dials and important looking instruments in it, so he was going by a process of deduction there. They were pouring over a set of maps spread out over a table, and the old, good-natured guy – Zuko's Uncle – was sitting off to the side playing some sort of game with a couple of other people who didn't look much like soldiers. They must be some of the other 'behind the scenes' sort of crew.

Zuko looked up when he came up the ladder. "Um, hi," Sokka said, waving awkwardly.

"Come over here," the Prince said, scowling as usual. One day his face was going to stick like that. Sokka pulled himself up through the hatch and did as he was told. The maps were a lot like the one Gran-Gran had given them, but a lot more detailed, particularly on land with all the towns and mountains and such. They even laid out where the currents and dangerous waters ran, just like theirs did.

"So far no-one on this stretch of coastline has seen any sign of the Avatar's bison," Zuko said. "Where were you going before we caught you?"

"Aang doesn't know Waterbending yet so we're taking him to the Northern Water Tribe to find a master," Sokka said, and then clapped a hand over his mouth as he realised what he'd just done. He hadn't meant to say that. It had just... slipped out, without his thinking about it.

Prince Grumpy no longer looked so grumpy. In fact he almost smiled, and there was a hint of triumph in his golden eyes. "You were right Uncle," he said, addressing the old man. "It _is_ working."

"Hey," Sokka said. "No fair." There hadn't even been anything to guard against, telling a lie just hadn't crossed his mind. Was this how it worked? You just... did stuff, without realising that maybe it wasn't what you wanted? It wasn't violent, in the way skin contact had been, but maybe this was worse, if you didn't even know it was happening.

"Fair?" Zuko said, frowning again. "Of course it isn't fair. What did you think was going to happen?"

Obviously he was right, but that didn't mean Sokka had to like it. He folded his arms and glared. Zuko rolled his eyes slightly.

"Now, tell me everything you know about the Avatar."

* * *

><p>After that they stopped sailing about near what the map had said were Gaoling Province and the Kingdom of Omashu, and headed north to Jiangsu Province. Sokka did his best not to feel guilty for telling the Fire Nation about Aang, but it was hard. He hadn't seemed to have much of a choice in the matter. Each time he thought he was prepared to lie, and each time the truth slipped out before he could stop himself. He tried to console himself by remembering that at least he didn't know all that much about Aang. Only what they had seen at the Southern Air Temple, and that probably wasn't the kind of information the Fire Nation was looking for.<p>

It got even more disturbing the next day, when he found himself wandering off just after lunch and ended up standing in front of Zuko's quarters not entirely sure why he had decided to go there. He had just had this feeling that he had somewhere to be...

"Oh good, it worked," Zuko said, catching sight of him through the open door. "I've got a task for you when we make land tonight."

"Great," Sokka said, somewhat sourly, going to sit on the floor in front of the Prince. If that had been _him_, what else might he have had him doing? How did he know he was even himself anymore?

"We have a fort near here beside the small town of Wuhan, but they haven't been answering our messenger-hawks. You are going to go in ahead of us and see if something has happened. It's possible that Omashu has sent troops to retake this area, and I don't want to walk into a trap."

"But it's okay if _I_ walk into a trap?" Sokka asked, panicking just a little bit. _Justifiably_, he thought.

"They're not going to kill _you_," Zuko said. "You're Water Tribe. You'll be fine."

_Tui and La help me_, Sokka thought desperately. _I don't want to be a spy. _Like he had a choice.

* * *

><p>Zuko was less than happy to hear that the people of the town had risen up and thrown the Fire Nation out – the Water Tribe boy could have stood to use less enthusiastic language describing it – but the Avatar and his companions had definitely been there, and that was something. They had a lead to go on now, and a destination. A quick hawk sent to the nearest outpost to let them know this town had been retaken, and they could be on their way.<p>

"You see, the White Lotus tile is vital in bringing harmony to the board, and thus, scoring points." Uncle's voice drifted over to him from the board he had insisted on setting up in the wheelhouse.

"Stop trying to teach that barbarian Pai Sho, Uncle," he said, turning and glaring at the pair of them.

"Surely you would not take away my chance to have a fresh opponent, nephew," Iroh said, smiling at him serenely. "Besides, he is so interested in the game! It is not often one finds someone with a real appreciation for..."

"Fine," Zuko said. He had bigger things to worry about. "Helmsman, plot a course north, but stay in sight of the coast. We can't afford to lose them again."

* * *

><p>General Iroh was odd. Sokka couldn't figure him out. He was Fire Nation, and going by the amount of gold at his collar, and the fact that he was Zuko's Uncle, he was clearly pretty important, but he didn't act like it. He didn't seem to think of him as a 'Water Tribe savage' like most of the crew did, and he seemed very laid back for someone helping Prince Angry hunt the Avatar.<p>

And then there was Pai Sho. In the times between his work in the kitchen and doing whatever Zuko wanted, Sokka was pretty much free to do whatever he felt like. Everyone had clearly been informed that he wasn't capable of escaping, and so they generally let him go wherever he wanted on the ship, so long as he didn't get in their way. Although the engines fascinated him, he hadn't yet had much of a chance to see how they worked, and so he had gone up to the control room again to look at the view. That was when the General had seen him, and called him over for a game.

Apart from eating, sleeping and drinking tea, Pai Sho seemed to be the only thing General Iroh did. After Sokka explained that he didn't know how to play, he found himself being pushed into a chair and given a quick lesson on the rules before having to stay and watch as the old man won handful after handful of oddly shaped Fire Nation coins from the other crewmen.

"Pai Sho is a game with an illustrious history," Iroh told him. "stretching back thousands and thousands of years. Any young man of culture should know how to play Pai Sho."

"Sure, _Fire Nation_ culture," Sokka said. Although he had to admit the game looked interesting.

The General made a disapproving noise. "Pai Sho does not belong to the Fire Nation alone. There are players all over the world, even in your Northern Water Tribe."

"If you say so," Sokka said, picking up one of the tiles for a closer look. After that, the old Firebender had seemed to take it as an invitation to teach him all about the game, complaining about his 'uncultured nephew' who had no appreciation for the art. Sokka kind of liked the idea that he was apparently more cultured at something than Zuko was.

In any case, General Iroh simply didn't fit with his idea of what the Fire Nation was like. He was actually... _nice_. And Sokka simply didn't know how to feel about that.

* * *

><p>A few days after that, with more rumours of Appa to whet his appetite, Zuko announced that they were going to take a small landing party to scout out the coast for signs of the Avatar, and Sokka was to come too. He didn't know what the Fire Prince expected to gain from his being there – perhaps just a few minutes of distraction if they found Katara and Aang – but he didn't mind. It had to be better than being cooped up on a Fire Nation ship.<p>

Jee also suggested that they should take the chance to fill up some of the fresh water tanks, so as well as Zuko, Iroh, and a pair of Firebenders Sokka didn't know, they also took some of the engineering staff and a lot of big empty metal barrels.

They took the little steamer in to land. There was a stiff breeze in the air, and it was bliss to feel it on his face after the smoky stink inside the ship. Sokka was already starting to forget it was there most of the time, but the smell of salt and the sea chased it away quickly enough. He took a seat near the prow and enjoyed the feeling of spray against his face.

They moored the boat a little way up a narrow river inlet, and Zuko and his two Firebenders started to coax the three komodo-rhinos down the narrow gangplank. The big animals were surprisingly placid for all this travelling, Sokka noted, especially considering they ate meat as well as plant stuff. He'd had the job of taking them dinner once or twice – mostly fatty offcuts and the bones and skin from the fish. Clearly the Fire Nation didn't know good eating – the fat was the best bit!

"We'll meet back here an hour before sunset," Zuko said, mounting up. "Sokka, you're with me."

"Have these things ever eaten someone?" He eyed the monster as he scrambled awkwardly into the saddle behind the Prince. "I mean, it's always the quiet ones you have to watch out for. They pretend to be nice and friendly and they just wait until you're not expecting it, and bam. It's chewed your arm off."

"Did you hit yourself in the head with that stupid boomerang too many times when you were young," Zuko asked through gritted teeth.

"Boomerang would never hurt me like that," Sokka said, trying to find something to hold on to that wasn't Zuko. "Am I ever getting her back, by the way?"

"Urgh." Zuko nudged the 'rhino and it set off at a slow march through the trees. Sokka had been on one of these things three times before, and it seemed the experience didn't get more fun with practise.

"Your ponytail is in my face."

"It's a phoenix-tail!"

Ah, he was so easy to irritate. Perhaps this trip would be more fun than he'd thought.

* * *

><p>It had been hours, and they still hadn't found anything. The people in the last village they passed had seen the Avatar's bison heading in this direction, and surely they would have to come down for the night soon? It only he could find somewhere high enough to get a proper look at the sky. Then he might be able to catch a glimpse of the beast.<p>

"Can't we stop for a break," Sokka said from behind him, slumping forward against his back. "This is so boring."

And that was another thing that made the afternoon's work so aggravating. The binding on his pelt might make him biddable and easily controlled, but it seemed it didn't stop him from saying anything and everything that popped into his head. If he made one more awful joke, Zuko might just dump him here and make him walk back to the steamer.

It _was_ near the deadline though. He turned the komodo-rhino round. "We're going to find my Uncle first," he said.

"Fine by me."

Zuko twisted round to look at him. "Who's in charge here?"

"You, oh glorious and fearless leader," Sokka said, grinning.

Zuko could feel steam threatening to escape from his nostrils. How could one boy be so ice-cursed annoying?

At least he had a rough idea of where they had left Uncle. Iroh had made excuses about 'searching the area more thoroughly', but Zuko knew he had spotted the nearby springs, and had taken the opportunity for relaxation. Did Uncle _ever_ take things seriously?

They left the 'rhino on the other side of the bamboo thicket, and made their way through on foot. "Uncle," Zuko began to shout once they were close enough. "It's time to leave, where are you? Uncle Iroh!"

"Over here." His Uncle's voice floated to them, and he followed it to the spring, now steaming with heat. Uncle was still sitting in the water, head back and eyes closed, completely uncaring that the Avatar could be flying away from them right at this moment.

"Uncle, we need to move on. We're closing in on the Avatar's trail, and I don't want to lose him."

"You look tired Prince Zuko," Uncle said soothingly. "Why don't you join me in these hot springs, and soak away your troubles?"

The Water Tribe boy perked up at that immediately. "That sounds _amazing_." He turned to Zuko. "Come on, can we? It looks so nice!"

"No," Zuko said. "Our troubles cannot be _soaked_ away. It's time to go!" Of course Sokka took his Uncle's side. The two of them were far too alike; lazy, fond of food, and fascinated by that stupid Pai-Sho table.

"You should listen to Sokka and relax a little," Iroh said. "The temperature's just right. I heated it myself." He demonstrated by breathing out a great cloud of hot smoke from his nose, and the steam billowed.

"Enough," Zuko said, trying not to whine. "We need to leave now or we'll miss my deadline. Get out of the water!"

"Very well." As Uncle started to stand, Zuko realised the flaw in his plan and flung his hand up protectively.

"Okay, I did _not_ need to see that!" Sokka said plaintively.

"On second thought, why don't you take another few minutes," Zuko said, continuing to look away. "Be back at the ship in half an hour or we're leaving without you."

He flailed around in the air next to him until he caught hold of Sokka's shirt, and pulled him back towards the bamboo grove. The selkie seemed to be slightly stunned. Hopefully that would mean he would shut up for the rest of the journey back. Behind him he heard Uncle sigh in pleasure as he lowered himself back into the water.

_Oh Agni, save me_.

* * *

><p>By the time Iroh roused himself, the water was already starting to turn cold. The sun was barely above the horizon, and the sky far above was the colour of fire. He smiled. It seemed he had overslept a little, but he was sure Zuko would forgive him. Although his nephew made a lot of noise about these little 'distractions' of his, it was all bark and no bite. It would do him good to learn some patience. Still, he should probably head off now before they got tired of waiting for him.<p>

As he prepared to lever himself out of the pool, a sudden rustling noise came from nearby, and he looked up warily. These were not Fire Nation lands, and there was always a chance... but no. As he watched a fluffy white meadowball appeared from the nearby grass and hopped up onto the rim of the spring. Iroh laughed, settling back into the water and holding out a hand for the tiny creature to sniff.

"You startled me little one," he said, letting it hop onto his hand. A very tame little thing, to be so bold. Perhaps he simply had a way with animals. As it began to bounce up and down on his palm he had to chuckle at its antics. "I'm sorry medowball, but I don't have any food for you. Perhaps..."

His words were cut off by the sudden tremor of the earth beneath them, and as he splashed back into the water stone rose up around him, sharp points ending up inches from his neck. Soldiers in green appeared from their cover in the trees and bamboo. An Earth Kingdom patrol.

One of them began rooting through his things, and Iroh narrowed his eyes. It had been foolish to let down his guard so badly. He was without his armour and alone, and it had been a long time since he had needed to go head to head with fully trained Earthbenders.

"Look here sir," the soldier said, pulling something red and shining out of the bundle of his clothes. "He's a dragon."

Ah, and that was another thing to curse himself for. If he hadn't made it his habit to take his skin with him, it would still be safe on the ship, and not a potential weapon in the hands of his enemies. _Please forgive your old and foolish Uncle, Zuko,_ he thought to himself.

"This is no ordinary dragon," their commander said, looking back and forth between Iroh and the skin. "This is the Fire Lord's brother, the Dragon of the West himself. The once-great General Iroh. But now, he's our prisoner."

That was true enough. But for all his nephew's complaints, Iroh knew the boy cared about him, and once he found he was gone... In a way, one could almost feel sorry for these poor unsuspecting men. It was not wise to anger dragons. Even little ones.

* * *

><p>They had been waiting by the steam-boat for long enough. The barrels were all filled and loaded, his Firebenders were flagging as Agni's light left them, and the spirit's-cursed Water Tribe boy had seen fit to stretch out on the deck and go to sleep. Uncle might be more than willing to stretch his deadline a little, but even he would not be this late. Something must have happened.<p>

"You two," Zuko said, making a decision. "Wake up a couple of the rhinos and get them saddled. We're going to find my Uncle." He turned to the selkie and nudged him in the ribs with the toe of his boot.

"No Momo, Zuko isn't food," the idiot mumbled, batting him away sleepily.

"Get up," Zuko said, repeating the action with a little more force.

"Huh... Is the General back now?"

"No he isn't. That's why we're going to find him."

"Aw man. I just got comfy." Sokka looked up at him mournfully. "Can't I just stay here?"

"No." If he had to go trekking back through this deserted forest, he fully intended to spread the misery around.

* * *

><p>He had failed. Suki was gone, taken by the Hei Bai spirit. He hadn't been fast enough to save her, and now he had no idea how to get her back. He trudged back to the village gates, in too low a mood to use his glider. Katara was going to be so disappointed in him. She was relying on him to be the Avatar, and the truth was, he had no idea what he was doing.<p>

As he came into sight of the village gates he saw Katara and the old man waiting for him. She had a blanked wrapped around her shoulders. She must have been waiting all night for him to come back.

"Your friend's in good hands," he heard the elder say. "I would be shocked if the Avatar returns without her." That just made him feel worse. Everyone was expecting him to be able to help them, and he just didn't know how. If he couldn't even do something like this, how in Great Sky's name was he meant to do the big things?

"Katara," he said, steeling himself to face up to her disappointment. "Katara, I lost her."

"The sun is rising," the old man said, ignoring him. "Perhaps he will return soon."

"What? No, I'm right here." Aang leant forward and waggled his hand in front of his face. The elder looked right through him like he wasn't even there. What was going on? He held out his hands in front of him. _He_ could see himself, so why couldn't anybody else?

As the sun's rays lifted above the horizon and shone down on the village, he got his answer. He was glowing pale blue, translucent and not even casting a shadow. Oh no. "I'm in the Spirit World!"

How had it even happened? If Hei Bai had dragged him through as well, then surely he would have been able to find Suki and bring her back. From what he knew of the Spirit World it was meant to be a wild place full of strange sights and wandering spirits, but this just looked like normal, except that he was see-through.

Now what? He sat down on the ground next to Katara, leaning on his staff. Well... surely it couldn't be that hard, could it?

"I'll figure this out Katara," he said, trying to be optimistic. "I promise. Like they said, I'm the bridge between the worlds, right? All I have to do is... figure out what I have to do. But once I do that, no problem." It sounded simple enough. In theory.

Of course, Katara couldn't hear him. As he watched her, he noticed Appa come ambling up to snuffle her hair. He must have gone to the stream nearby for a drink. "Appa, hey buddy," he said, smiling. Appa always made him feel better. "I'm right here. But... I guess you can't see me either." Even though Appa was supposed to be his animal guide, that didn't seem to make any difference. Aang sighed, watching as Katara led Appa back into the village with the promise of treats.

"What am I supposed to do?" he asked the air. "Avatar Roku, how can I talk to you?"

He was about to turn away from the forest path when he saw a faint light glowing in the depths of the shadowed trees. "Suki?" he said, hoping his friend might somehow have managed to find him. He strained his eyes, trying to see what the dim and distant thing was. It grew closer quickly, and he saw with a sudden stab of fear the great wings, the horns and the sinuous serpentine body. A dragon.

"Definitely _not_ Suki." Dragons were Fire Nation, and the Fire Nation were trying to capture him, and even if this _was_ the Spirit World, it didn't mean the dragon was going to be friendly. He raised his staff and flipped out the wings of his glider, preparing to make a run for it. But when he tried, he fell flat on his face. He couldn't get the glider off the ground. He tried a few Airbending moves experimentally, but there was nothing.

"What? I can't Airbend in the Spirit World?"

By then it was too late to get away. The dragon looped in the air and landed in front of him. Even if it couldn't breathe fire here, it still had plenty of teeth. "You... don't know where Suki is, do you?" he asked. Maybe it would turn out to be a good dragon.

The dragon leaned its head forward to look him in the eyes. Aang couldn't keep from shaking slightly. Its teeth were _right there_. Before he could back away, one of its whiskers twitched and reached out towards him, touching his forehead. Sudden bright pictures burst across his mind.

Flying high over a battlefield thick with troops in red and green, swooping low to breath fire. The impact of rocks against the delicate bones of wings, crashing to the ground and being swallowed up by the earth. Darkness covering everything from all sides. Waking up in the Spirit World and knowing there was no way back.

"You died in the war," Aang said, gulping. Surely that meant the dragon was one of the bad guys. But the images continued.

An old man dressed in Fire Nation red with a flame-shaped ornament in his hair. A hand reaching out and a long conversation. A journey.

"Avatar Roku! You know Avatar Roku?" The dragon nodded. "And... he told you that the Fire Nation were wrong?" The dragon huffed, crouching a little lower to the ground, almost looking ashamed of himself. "That's okay," Aang said, trying to cheer him up. "Whatever you did before you died, you're trying to make up for it now aren't you? So, can you help me talk to Roku? I need to save Suki and help this village, and I don't know how."

The dragon curled around him, lowering his neck to the ground so that Aang could climb on. There was no sensation of hot or cold in the Spirit World, but the powerful muscles were solid underneath him, and the scales weren't as uncomfortable to sit on as he'd expected. He looked back at the village.

"I'll be back Katara. I'm going to stop Hei Bai from destroying these people's homes, and I'm going to save Suki. It's going to be okay."

* * *

><p>By late morning the next day, they were starting to make their way through the foothills of the mountains that had just been visible from the sea. Iroh sat calmly on the back of the soldier's ostrich-horse, letting himself be patient. In situations like these it was important to keep neutral jing in mind – wait for the opportunity to strike. It was a long, long way to Ba Sing Se, and even though his captors had not seen fit to return his clothes to him, he was not uncomfortable.<p>

As he allowed the calm patience of the hunter waiting for his prey to sweep all sense of time and worry from his mind, his gaze turned upwards, and he saw something which made all of that fall away. The long spirit-blue dragon swept overhead, the Avatar sat just behind his head, and he couldn't stop the words falling from his lips.

"Lu Ten..."

"What's the problem?" the Sergeant said, glaring at him. Iroh quickly composed himself. He had gone by so fast... but he would never forget his son's form, be it human or dragon.

"Nothing," he said, before the thought occurred to him that if the Avatar was here, his own nephew could not be far away. He had seen enough of Agni's workings in the last few weeks to doubt their connection. "Actually, there is a bit of a problem. My old joints are feeling sore and achy, and these shackles are too loose."

"Too loose?" The soldier looked at him sceptically, but after all, everyone knew the Dragon of the West was old now, and no longer a threat.

"That's right. The cuffs are loose and they jangle around and bump my wrists. It would help me if you would tighten them, so they wouldn't shake around so much."

He hesitated, but Iroh could see the thought in his eyes. What was the harm? "Very well. Corporal, tighten the prisoner's hand cuffs."

Their ostrich-horse crouched down, and the soldier slid off, reaching for the key. Iroh let the chi flow through his body, pooling in his throat ready to be released. As the man reached for the iron cuffs, he let it out in a wave of heat, making them glow cherry-red. His hand snapped down on top of the soldier's, and the man screamed.

As he fell to his knees, Iroh used the distraction to jump from the saddle, leaping in the air to send a flaming kick at the ostrich-horses in front, sending them into a panic. As their riders struggled to control them, he rolled off the path and down the slope, preparing himself for a bumpy ride.

He did not truly expect to make it to the bottom of the hill, and he was not wrong. Before long the earth beneath him bucked up, bringing him to a stop surrounded by rock and dirt. High above three of the uninjured soldiers used their Earthbending to slide down to join him. Their faces were grim.

"He's too dangerous Captain," one of them said. "We can't just carry him to the capital. We have to do something now."

"I agree," said the Sergeant. "He must be dealt with immediately, and severely."

Iroh spat out a piece of gravel that had made its way into his mouth. The delay was just what he wanted. Now his nephew would be able to catch up with him.

* * *

><p>Sokka was actually pretty impressed that Zuko had made the decision to go after his Uncle rather than Aang. Appa had been right there, and though he had looked really tempted, he had turned the rhino away from them and back along the trail left by the Earthbenders. Not that he was going to go around singing the guy's praises all of a sudden, but if he cared about family, he couldn't be <em>all <em>bad, right?

It was nearly sunset when they heard the voices coming from up ahead. Zuko stopped the komodo-rhino, and dismounted silently, tying the reins to a nearby tree. Sokka clambered down slowly and carefully, trying not to make any noise. They made their way closer to the dip in the ground where the soldiers seemed to have stopped. Zuko gestured for them to stop at the lip of the crater, and they peered over, sizing up the situation.

"How's that fire coming along?" one of the soldiers said. He was nursing one hand which was wrapped thickly with bandages.

"Nearly hot enough," said the one by the campfire, turning something that looked like a poker over in the flames. Beside him the Prince tensed, and muttered something that sounded like a curse.

"I want to be the one to do it," said the man with the bandaged hand, glaring at General Iroh, who was chained up nearby. Sokka was not thrilled to see that he was still nearly naked. "After he burned me, I think it's only fair that I get to do the same to him."

"Alright, I think it's ready," the second man said, pulling the poker-thing out of the fire and handing it over to the first. The end glowed red, and it was shaped oddly. Sokka couldn't make out what it was from this distance.

"Stay here," Zuko said, his golden eyes practically glowing with anger. "I'll deal with this." And with that he was sliding off down the scree slope.

There was something stretched out over a rock at the centre, and the man took a few steps towards it. Before he could touch the hot iron it however Prince Zuko had reached the bottom of the slope, and with a few quick strides closer he lunged at him with a flying kick that sent the poker spinning out of his hands.

The soldiers were taken entirely by surprise. It took them a few moments to recover, and Zuko used the time well. He ran to his Uncle, who had already laid his chains taut against a nearby outcrop of stone, and with another strong blow of his heel, Zuko broke them apart. Iroh got to his feet, grinning.

"Excellent form, Prince Zuko," he said, loud enough for Sokka to hear.

"You taught me well," the Prince replied, and then the pair of them slid into ready stances as the Earthbenders pulled themselves together. Sokka leaned farther over the edge of the slope to get a better view.

"Surrender yourselves," one of the Earthbenders said. "It's five against two. You're clearly outnumbered."

"Ah, that's true," General Iroh said, with the kind of smile Sokka had seen him give playing Pai-Sho when he was about to lure someone into a trap. "But you are clearly outmatched."

Yeah, these soldiers clearly didn't know what they were up against. He might not have seen the General fight before, but Zuko had handed him his ass pretty easily, and back on the island he had taken on three Kyoshi Warriors at once and came out on top.

The Earthbenders raised rocks quickly, tearing great chunks out of the ground. The General's chains whirred through the air and struck stone into pieces. He wasn't even using his Firebending, Sokka thought, slightly amazed. Zuko took a more subtle route, ducking and diving between their attacks before kicking out arcs of fire that took a pair of soldiers in the chest, and swept the feet out from another. Another missile came flying towards his head, and Sokka was about to shout out a warning when Iroh's chains came out of nowhere, wrapping round it and diverting it from its course. The General used his weight to swing it round him several times, before letting it go again, sending it hurtling into another man throwing him back against the cliff face.

Before long only the leader of the patrol was left. He didn't look like he was going to give up the fight though. He took one of Zuko's fireblasts on the metal surface of his helmet, deflecting its force, and as he took a wide stance and swept his hands into the air, two massive spouts of gravelly soil shot up to either side of him, ready to smash down and smother anything in their path. Sokka tensed. He needn't have worried though. Once more Iroh's chains lashed out, wrapping around the soldier's ankles and bringing him crashing to the ground, his own rocks brought down on top of him.

They had won. The Earthbenders were laid out – no, wait. One of them was still moving. He got up on his hands and knees, and raised his head, looking murderous. Neither Zuko nor Iroh had seen him, and as Sokka watched, he raised a hand ready to send another Earthbending attack at them. Before he knew what he was doing, his hand closed around a nearby stone and he threw it with all his strength. It clanged off the soldier's head, and the man dropped without a sound.

"Oh yeah!" Sokka punched the air with delight, and then overbalanced, flailing wildly before he fell, sliding down the slope on his belly. "Oww."

"What are you doing, you idiot?" Zuko said, glaring at him.

"Lending a hand?"

Zuko sighed, and turned back to his Uncle. "And you. Would you _please_ put on some clothes? We saw the Avatar's bison earlier – we have to find out where he was going before it's too late."

"Much as I would like to oblige you nephew," Iroh said with a smile. "They left my clothes back at the spring."

Zuko's cry of frustration echoed off the rocky walls. Sokka grinned. This really wasn't turning out to be his day.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N:** Answering a few questions - This story will eventually cover all three seasons of ATLA, but I plan to split them up so each book will be posted as a seperate fic on FFNet. There will probably be a break between each book as well for me to work on other writing projects. Re: Bluetiger's point that Sokka would be more use to Zuko if he rejoined the Gaang - this is true, but Zuko hasn't worked that out yet, and who knows if he will before the North Pole. The whole thing is a new enough experience for him that he hasn't really thought through all the ways he could use it to his advantage.

**Chapter Six**

All three of them wouldn't fit onto the komodo rhino, so of course Sokka was the one who had to walk. That didn't stop him grumbling about it, but he knew better than to do it very loudly. Besides, General Iroh had been chained up for hours on end, which that couldn't have been comfortable, and he wasn't going to make on old man walk. That would just be disrespectful.

As they made their way back to the fork in the path, and then in the general direction Appa had been headed, he took the time to think over what he had done back at the scene of the fight. Picking up the rock like that hadn't really been a conscious action, but he wasn't sure that meant it was due to the weird hold Zuko had over him. He liked to think he would have helped out Iroh at least, even if he didn't particularly care what happened to the Prince. So far the General had been kind to him, and whatever the Earth Kingdom soldiers had been up to, it hadn't looked good. Still, it was hard to tell whether he had done it of his own free will.

Almost unconsciously, his hand went to his waist, where he was carrying his pelt wrapped around him once more. After what had happened last time, he wasn't letting it out of his sight again. He didn't even take it off to bathe, not that it was difficult, since on the ship all that meant was sponging yourself down with a bowl of lukewarm water. Katara might tell him he stank normally, but he thought she would be even less impressed now.

It was about an hour or two before they found the village. It was small and well hidden within the shelter of the forest, and was surrounded by a tall palisade wall. Following the komodo-rhino through the gate Sokka could see that it hadn't protected them too well; several buildings were destroyed completely, and others would need a lot of work before they were habitable again. Some kind of fight had gone on here, but between who? Aang and Katara? The Fire Nation? Surely not the latter here in Earth Territory. There was no sign of fire damage in any case.

There was a large building at the centre of the village that looked like some kind of town hall or meeting place, and Zuko rode his mount all the way up to it before jumping off. He strode up the short flight of steps and rapped hard on the door. There was no answer.

The Prince scowled, and knocked again, harder, before shouting out, "I know there's someone in there! Come out, or I set the whole building on fire."

There were footsteps, and then the door slid open a crack. An old man looked out, shaking slightly in fear. "Sir, please," he said, tremulous. "We are a poor village, as you can see. We have nothing to give you, please..."

"I'm not here for your money," Zuko said. "I want to know about the Avatar."

From the way the man's face paled, he knew exactly what the Prince was talking about.

* * *

><p>They flew west for the Fire Nation with all haste. Appa was well rested and made good time, keeping a swift and steady pace. Suki lay back in the saddle and looked up at the sky already beginning to fade pale with the promise of morning. She felt... strange. Light, and stretched out, as though the air around them could pass straight through her. She could remember only bits and pieces of her time in the Spirit World, but she was sure it had something to do with that experience.<p>

They didn't talk. With all that had happened no-one had gotten enough sleep, and since Appa seemed perfectly capable of flying in the right direction by himself, they took the chance for a rest. As she settled down in the saddle, protected from the wind by the carved wooden sides, Suki thought to herself about what had happened. She hadn't meant to anger the spirit, just distract it long enough for Aang to do... something. It had been hard, as the only trained warrior there, to sit back and let him face the _kamui_ alone, but that wasn't an excuse. She should have had better discipline.

After she came back, walking out of that bamboo grove, it had been like surfacing from a dream. Aside from the sudden and slightly embarrassing urge to go to the toilet, she had been hit by a wave of hunger and tiredness. Whatever the nature of her captivity in the Spirit World, it had effects enough in their own world. She wouldn't pretend to understand how _that_ worked. Maybe Aang would have been able to explain it, if he had been fully trained.

Finally her thoughts subsided enough for her to fall asleep. It didn't take long, exhausted as she was, and at first it was dreamless. When it came though it was strange, unlike most of those she normally had which tended to be about daily life, fishing and hunting and taking her turn at preparing dinner for the warriors, of repeating moves and katas if it had been a particularly long day at the dojo. It started with the sound of waves against the shore, and as the dream-her opened her eyes, she saw a beach at night, black sand beneath her feet, and the full moon overhead. She looked down at herself, and saw she was wearing her armour, and from the feel of her face, the full war paint as well.

She walked along the beach for a while. There was no-one around. To her left was the ocean, and to the right in the distance, high cliffs of what looked like ice. It seemed like a long time that she walked, but in a dream it was hard to be sure. When she looked down again, she had looped round somehow, and her own footsteps were clear in the sand before her.

"Is there anyone here?" she asked the empty air. There was something oddly familiar about all this. Perhaps she was recalling something about the Spirit World. There was no answer, and she didn't feel like going back round on herself again. She sat down on the rough sand and looked out over the sea and up to the stars. The constellations were strange too, nothing like the ones she saw at home.

"This is the solstice," someone said behind her. "The day when worlds are balanced. So I come to you."

She twisted round, surprised, but for some reason not alarmed. The voice had been calm, friendly and female. There was a woman standing there in white flowing robes that billowed around her, white hair tied up in a fancy style and decorated with an ornament made of a disk of smooth polished silver. Her face was covered with a veil, but Suki could tell that despite the colour of her hair, she was not old.

"I know," Suki said, cautious. "I suppose that means you must be a spirit."

The woman inclined her head. "You journey northward; all three will have a purpose. Yours is not yet known."

Suki frowned, not sure what the spirit meant by that. "Aang and Katara are going north to learn Waterbending, I know that, and I'm going because I need to make up for what happened to Sokka. I already know my purpose."

"Danger stalks your path; behind you, you bring the fire, one who knows my shape."

"You mean that Prince who has Sokka?"

"Older than that foe, and favoured by his nation. He shall wage war there."

Well, no-one said spirits would be clear about what they wanted. That had been half the problem with Hai-Bai, that they didn't realise he was angry about the destruction of the forest. "So what you're saying is that we have more than one person after us?" She sighed. "Thank you for the warning, great spirit." Cryptic though it might be, it would be a bad idea to show disrespect by getting annoyed about it.

The spirit smiled. "At the pool, my home. Keep him clear, his threat beware. Else black night befall."

With these last words the spirit, and with her the dream, began to fade away. Suki grasped for it, wanting to ask what she meant, but it slipped through her fingers and she woke, feeling the fuzz of sleep melt away from behind her eyes. Overhead the sun had risen, bright between fluffy clouds, though by its position it was still morning.

She did her best to remember what the spirit had said to her. Clearly it had been important, but as with all dreams it was hard to keep a hold of it in her mind. Something about someone else chasing them, about her purpose in going north, and... Something about a pool.

* * *

><p>Sokka stood on the upper deck of the ship, near enough to Zuko to hear it if he shouted an order, but far enough away that he hoped he wouldn't be noticed. The Prince had the bit between his teeth now, and if sheer willpower could have made them go any faster, they would be flying like an arrow right now. Not that they were slow exactly. It was hard to estimate, but he was sure they were going faster than Appa could fly.<p>

By the time they had returned to the ship, everything had already been ready to set sail. Apparently the lookouts had seen the Avatar's bison overhead, going directly west in the direction of the Fire Nation, and Lieutenant Jee had made sure to prepare to chase them as soon as the steamer had returned. Zuko had been happy about that.

General Iroh had finally found some clothes to put on, which was a great improvement in Sokka's opinion. He had joined them on deck not long ago, and was now watching the horizon with an expression that Sokka was already beginning to learn signalled that there might be trouble ahead. Quite what he couldn't imagine. They were sailing _away_ from the Earth Kingdom, after all.

Liu Dan was also on deck, though not in any Sokka-monitoring capacity. Although she had her skull face-plate on, he could still tell it was her from the way she stood and the slightly altered curve of her armour that meant female, not male. From what he had seen, there were only three female Firebenders out of a squad twelve, but that was still more than he would expect. He wandered over a bit closer to her, hoping for an opportunity to chat. He wasn't sure he dared ask Zuko or Iroh what the Earth Kingdom men had been planning on doing with that hot piece of metal, but Liu Dan would probably know. Even though she was kind of spiky, and didn't seem to like him much, she had answered his questions readily enough in the past.

However before he could open his mouth, General Iroh took a slight step closer to his nephew and spoke to him quietly. "Sailing into Fire Nation waters... Of all the foolish things you've done in your sixteen years, Prince Zuko, this is the most foolish."

Sokka was still close enough to overhear what he said, and looked at them in surprise. Why would it be foolish to sail into the Fire Nation? That's where they came from, after all, and Zuko was a Prince. What possible trouble could he get into there?

"I have no choice Uncle," Zuko replied, glancing over at Sokka, who immediately tried not to look as though he was listening.

"Have you completely forgotten that the Fire Lord _banished_ you?" Iroh said sharply. "What if you're caught?"

_Banished_? Zuko had been banished? But... that didn't make any sense. Banishment was serious. He had never seen it happen to one of the people in their tribe, but he had heard stories about it. His father had needed to banish one of the men once, though no-one ever said what for in his hearing. It meant throwing them out into the wilderness, without hope of help, able to take only the very basic things they owned. It was nearly a death sentence.

Although perhaps it was less severe in the Fire Nation. It probably wasn't as hard to survive on your own when you didn't need to worry about the polar weather, and for a Prince, 'the basics' seemed to cover a ship full of people and help from your Uncle. Iroh hadn't said anything about them _both_ being banished. Still... It seemed hard to believe. What kind of crime would people like the Fire Nation think worthy of banishment anyway? It must either be something really _really_ bad, or perhaps, knowing the way they thought, trying to be a decent guy in a nation of dicks.

He hoped it was the second option.

"I'm chasing the Avatar," Zuko said, turning to glare at Iroh. "My father will understand why I'm returning home."

"You give him too much credit," the General said, folding his arms. "My brother is not the understanding type." All things considered, Sokka was going to side with Iroh on this one. He might not know very much about how the Fire Nation decided who their chief – aka the Fire Lord – was, but he somehow doubted it would be someone nice. They were talking about people who wanted to take over the entire _world_ here.

Zuko looked as though he was going to say something else, but his attention was suddenly caught by something up in the clouds. He darted over to the telescope and peered through it, and an exclamation of delight burst from his lips.

"There they are..." His eyes were eager as he turned to shout orders at the man in the control room, and Sokka's heart sunk. "Helmsman, full steam ahead!"

As the ship began to pick up the slightest edge more speed, Zuko headed for the ladder down to the main deck, Iroh quick behind him, looking disapproving. Sokka followed, wanting to keep an eye on what was going on. He might not be able to do anything for his sister and Aang, but he wasn't about to hide away and pretend nothing was happening. He could at least offer up a prayer to the spirits for their protection.

Plates in the metal deck slid open, and with a hiss something big slid up from the hold below. A catapult, Sokka realised, and one loaded with a rock covered in some sort of foul-smelling thick fluid that stank worse than skunk-fish. He wrinkled up his nose in disgust, and General Iroh produced a fan from somewhere, wafting it in front of his face.

"Ehh, really Prince Zuko. Couldn't you shoot them down with something more fragrant?" he asked, and Sokka completely agreed, although of course he would prefer it if Zuko didn't shoot them down at all.

The Prince ignored him however, and thrust his fist forward creating a brief flower of flame that ignited the slime, which burned merrily, and stank even more.

"On my mark..." Zuko said, holding his hand up ready and staring up at the faint shape of Appa in the distance. "Fire!" The soldier standing nearest the catapult swung his sword in an arc and sliced through the rope holding the throwing arm down. The burning rock shot into the sky, missing the bison, but coming far closer than Sokka was comfortable with.

"Reload," Zuko ordered, and as the arm was gradually pulled back into place, chains attached to a kind of winch were thrown down through another hole in the deck to the hold, presumably to get another rock. "How many shots do we have left?" the Prince asked the man who looked to be in charge of this. The soldier stroked his moustache thoughtfully.

"Enough for five more," he said, sounding regretful. "We've been travelling light."

"Then we'll just have to be more accurate..." Zuko began, but then he paused, looking out at the horizon, and his eyes widened. Sokka turned to see what he was looking at, and gulped. A long line of Fire Nation ships stretching out as far as the eye could see.

"A blockade," the Prince said, sounding almost nervous for the first time he could remember.

"Technically you are still in Earth Kingdom waters," General Iroh said, his hand going to stroke his beard in a gesture that was starting to be familiar after so many games of Pai-Sho. "Turn back now, and they cannot arrest you."

Zuko was silent for long moments before he said, "If the Avatar keeps on his current course, they're bound to shoot him down. He's not foolish enough to go on."

"Then let us see what he does and follow him that way," Iroh said, looking pleased to find a solution. Sokka was not so sure. From what that man had said back at the village, Aang was in a hurry to get to Crescent Island, and from the size of the blockade, it had to stretch a long way both North and South. Going out of the way might take too long for whatever Aang had to do.

Everyone was staring up at Appa now, tracking every movement as they got closer and closer to the blockade. Time seemed to stretch out as the anticipation grew. Prince Zuko wasn't exactly a patient kind of guy though.

"He's not turning around," he said, his hands tightening into fists.

"Please Prince Zuko," Iroh said, quick to forestall any typical Zuko foolishness. "If the Fire Nation captures you, there is nothing I can do. Do _not_ follow the Avatar." To be honest, Sokka didn't know whether that happening would be a good thing or not. It would presumably mean that Zuko wouldn't be able to chase Aang anymore, but he wasn't naive enough to think it would mean _he_ would go free, and he didn't know enough about what Zuko had done to him to know whether it could be changed to make someone else his 'master'. Maybe they would just kill him.

Yeah, that would probably suck for everyone involved.

"I'm sorry Uncle," Zuko said, and Sokka was close enough to notice the pained expression on his face as he made his decision. "Run the blockade!"

* * *

><p>Zhao supposed it had been lucky after all that only one of his shots had actually hit the exiled little dragon's ship. Well, more of a boat, to be honest. It was a pathetic little thing, rather like its owner. It would have been nice to see it go down. He still felt the sting of humiliation from that Agni Kai weeks before. A lucky blow from a generally unlucky opponent, and then the mewling little cub hadn't even had the guts to finish him off. It seemed he had learned nothing since he had been banished.<p>

However, despite the fact that he hadn't sunk that rusty piece of slag or managed to shoot down the Avatar, the smoke from the ship's damaged engines was providing a clear trail for him to follow. If anyone knew where the Avatar was going, it would be the Prince, Zhao thought to himself, watching them steam away, thick black cloud behind them. He turned to the Captain standing behind him.

"Go down to the brig and fetch me... oh, I think Xun will do for this job."

The man ran quickly to fetch the branded shifter. Zhao congratulated himself on the speed with which he went to follow his commands. He may not have been in this position for very long, but a few weeks were plenty of time to instil the proper level of fear in his subordinates. He had made it very clear that failure was not to be tolerated, nor weakness. Being soft and indulgent was not how the Fire Nation had risen to their destined position over the rest of the world, their rightful place, just as Agni looked down upon Fire Nation, Earth Kingdom and Water Tribes alike.

The Captain returned before long, bringing the shifter with him, still properly shackled and naked aside from a short loincloth. The Earth Kingdom peasant was an albatross-hawk, and had both speed and stamina enough to follow Zuko and keep an eye on him. With the once-great Dragon of the West on board, Zhao was not foolish enough to estimate them. They would know he was following their ship, and if he remembered correctly, the exile also had a small steam boat on board.

Zhao strode over to Xun and reached out to tilt the creature's head up to look into its dull, dead eyes. Shifters became so very tractable once you burned the proper obedience into them. Of course, it stopped them acting on initiative, but who needed that in a dumb beast anyway?

"Follow the boat," he said, speaking slowly and clearly to make sure the shifter understood. "When the smaller boat leaves, follow that instead. When it lands, return and report to me."

The creature nodded placidly. Zhao motioned to the Captain, who unlocked its shackles and handed over the branded skin. The shifter flipped the pelt around its bare shoulders, and with a flap of its wings, the bird was in the air.

Xun was not the only shifter Zhao owned, although he had found it to be one of the most useful. Earth and Water shifters were not like the dragons; they were unintelligent beasts, little better than their kin who had never learned the secret of becoming human. The Fire Sages told that Agni himself had created the dragons to teach and help humans, and gave them the ability to shed their skins so that they could walk amongst them and give them the secret of fire. But only the Fire Nation had listened, and the lesser beasts had grown jealous of the dragons, and stolen the secret of shifting from them.

So it was clear to see that quite as the Fire Nation's destiny was to rule as the superior people and the superior element, it was also their destiny to put such creatures back in their proper place, subordinate to humans, as humans were subordinate to dragons. After all, no-one treated cow-hippos or chicken-pigs like people, and shifters were not human, even though they might look like it. It was foolish sentimentality to think otherwise.

* * *

><p>It was late by the time they reached Crescent Island, but the sun was still in the sky, and that meant there was still time. Appa swooped down and landed on a flat piece of ground some way away from the temple, near the foot of a long series of steps that led upwards. At the top of the mountain, the volcano spat little bits of molten lava. It was making Suki nervous, although surely whoever was in charge of this temple wouldn't have build it here if there was any real danger.<p>

They all climbed down from Appa's back, and Aang hugged him, arms barely stretching round his snout. "You did it buddy," he said, nuzzling him. "Nice flying." Appa let out a soft bellow, and flopped onto his side.

"Aww, you must be tired," Katara said, rubbing the short fur on his belly. Suki smiled. He really had done well. She couldn't think of many creatures who would have been that calm under fire, especially since he couldn't have been trained to it. Everyone said the Air Nomads had been pacifists, so there was no way they could have prepared their steeds for something like that. But Appa hadn't panicked or even complained much, he had just done his best evasive flying, and kept on going.

"You saved our lives out there Appa," she said, patting him gently.

"Yeah, isn't he amazing?" Aang said proudly.

"He is," Katara said.

"We should get going though," Suki said. "There isn't much time left before sunset, and it would be best if you get as much time as possible to talk to Roku."

Aang grabbed his glider and they headed for the stairs. The rock was strange, unlike any she had ever seen before, and the steps carved into it were well worn with years of use and many footsteps. However when they finally reached the top after a long slog that left her muscles burning despite her warrior's training, the place seemed deserted. She frowned.

"I don't see any guards. In fact, I don't see anyone."

"The Fire Nation must have abandoned the temple when Avatar Roku died," Katara said.

Checking the position of the sun in the sky, they couldn't have any more than an hour at most left. They hurried into the temple, trying their best to be quiet, just in case they had been wrong, and there was still somebody around to keep trespassers, especially non-Fire Nation trespassers, away.

"Wait," Suki said suddenly, holding up her hand for them to stop and straining her ears. "I think I heard something." It had been very quiet, and not like footsteps. Almost... rumbling.

It came again, from much closer this time. The three of them turned to look back the way they came.

"Oh no," Aang said. "Dragons!"

There were five of them in all colours from poisonous red, deep green, an almost golden yellow, and two in dark blue, one so dark it was almost purple. They filled the doorway, looming massively enough to block out nearly all the light. As Suki looked on, frozen to the spot, one of them slithered forwards and shifted back to human form. He was a short, elderly man, now naked aside from his skin still held loosely around his shoulders. He showed no shame in it but stood tall and regal. At first she couldn't tell where his human skin and shed pelt began and ended, but looking closer she realised this was because he was tattooed all over with the pattern of scales.

"We are the Fire Sages," the man said, his voice a low growl. "Guardians of the Temples, including that of the Avatar."

"Great," Aang said, perking up and stepping forward. "I _am_ the Avatar."

The man's eyes narrowed. "We know." With a motion rather like he was stretching out his spine he changed back, and then the mouths of all five dragons were opening up and flames came roaring towards them. Aang yelled and darted forwards, his staff whirring and calling the wind. The fire splashed to either side of them harmlessly.

"I'll hold them off," Aang said, determined. "Run!"

Suki didn't wait for him to say it again. He was the only one who had even a chance against five dragons. She wouldn't have wanted to take on _one_. As she and Katara headed into the maze of corridors leading away from the entrance room, she heard the dragons roar, and she shivered. Whatever Roku had to say had better be worth this.

Once he was sure Katara and Suki were gone, Aang didn't stick around. These weren't nice dragons like the one who had shown him how to talk to Roku, even though they were guarding his temple. He didn't understand why they were doing this! If they were meant to be serving Roku, why were they attacking him? Why were they helping the Fire Nation to take over the world? It didn't make sense.

He ducked down a side corridor, hoping he was faster than they were. They were pretty big, but that didn't meant they were slow. He ran and ran, not really thinking about where he was going, but hoping that at least he would be able to find his friends again.

In the end he ran into them by accident, almost knocking Suki over. He couldn't hear the dragons behind him, but they couldn't be far away, and they still had to find a way up to the room with Roku's statue in it.

"Follow me," he said, and tore off around another corner.

"Do you know where you're going?" Suki called after him, as he nearly ran into a dragon's face. It was the yellow one, and it blinked at him in surprise as he yelled and dashed off back the way he had come.

"Nope," he said, grabbing their hands as he passed. "Wrong way."

Behind him the sound of the dragon's big feet turned into the noise of smaller ones, and someone shouted out to them. "Come back," the dragon said, chasing after them in human form.

This was really bad. At this rate, they would _never_ reach Roku in time, and he wouldn't be able to ask him _anything_ about being the Avatar. He couldn't wait for the next solstice to come around, and he could see now that coming into the Fire Nation like this again would be way too dangerous.

They kept on running. If only they could find some stairs, they might have some hope...

"No!" They had reached a dead end, and now with the Fire Sage coming after them, they were trapped.

"I don't want to fight you," the man said, holding up his hands, trying not to look threatening. He looked like he meant it, but... "I'm a friend."

"Firebenders are _not _our friends," Suki said, dropping into a defensive stance, and flipping her war fans open.

The Fire Sage knelt before him, head bowed. "I know why you're here, Avatar," he said.

"You do?"

"Yes. You wish to speak to Avatar Roku. I can take you to him."

It could be a trap. But he was a dragon, he wouldn't need to trap them. He already had them cornered, and he could just change back any time he wanted. Aang decided to trust him. Not all dragons were bad, and he was sure that meant ones living in the Fire Nation as well.

"How?" he asked.

The Sage got to his feet and reached out to a lantern on the wall nearby, pushing it aside and revealing a small hole. He placed his open palm against it, and with a deep intake of breath, pushed out fire. There was a mechanical thump, and a part of the wall slid back and to the side, opening up a hidden passageway.

"This way," he said. "Time is running out."

* * *

><p>Crescent Island was volcanic. Zuko had neglected to mention this fact when he dragged him off on his 'stealth mission' on board the steamer. Not that Sokka could have refused to come along or anything, but he would have appreciated the heads up. This place looked dangerous.<p>

Zuko brought the little boat in to a small cove hidden from the rest of the island by an overhang of rock. They had about an hour before General Iroh circled the ship round and came to get them, no doubt bringing this douchebag by the name of Zhao with him. Sokka had asked about the man once they had left the main ship, but Zuko had just told him to shut up and gone off to stand by the wheel and sulk. Bad blood between them, if seemed.

They left the boat tied up under an overhang of rock to keep it away from prying eyes. Overhead a bird wheeled, letting out a sharp cry. Sokka looked up at it nervously. Zuko led the way up from the bay and through the rough terrain. They picked thier way between boulders and outcroppings of stone that had broken apart into edges sharp enough to cut skin, as Sokka found out when he put a hand on one of them. He pulled it back with a yelp of pain, and watched the blood trickle down his palm.

"Be careful," Zuko hissed. "We're nearly there, and we still have to sneak past the Fire Sages."

"So we have to watch out for a couple of old shamans," Sokka said dismissively. The Southern Water Tribe had had shamans once, back when there were more Waterbenders, and people thought there was still something to be gained by communing with the spirits. But the local spirits of the South were not like those of the North, and either way, it hadn't stopped the Fire Nation hunting them.

"Those 'shamans' are all trained Firebenders," Zuko said, glaring at him. "Not to mention, dragons."

Sokka gulped. Great. More dragons. "So, uh, are you going to shift and go talk to them?"

Zuko went very still, and very tense. Then he said quietly, and through clenched teeth; "Did you miss the part where I am _banished_?" The air rippled with heat. Sokka shrank back, trying to make himself a smaller target.

"Sorry?" he said, trying to smile in an 'I'm not prey, honest' kind of way. Yeah, saying that had been a mistake.

Zuko snorted steam. "Come on," he said, turning his back on him, still way too tense for comfort. "There's an easier track up the south-west face, where they bring up supplies. And for Agni's sake, be quiet!"

The scorch-marks left by Suki's _shinobi_-style explosives seemed to do the trick. Katara watched from behind a pillar as the other four dragons joined Shyu and shifted back to human to direct their precision blasts at the door lock. The small bags of gun-powder might not have been as strong as their fire, but it seemed the soot they left behind looked enough like it to fool the Sages. The mechanism moved into place with a smooth movement, and the sanctuary doors opened.

"It's the Avatar's lemur," the head Sage said, sneering. "He must have crawled through the pipes. We've been tricked!"

Before he could make a move to shift back, Momo leapt at him, screeching and pulling the hide from his shoulders. Katara and Suki ran to two others and did the same thing, while Shyu took care of the final Sage.

"Now Aang," Shyu said, looking over towards his hiding place. No-one appeared.

"Aang, now's your chance," Katara yelled. Perhaps he hadn't been able to hear Shyu the first time. There was the sound of movement, and then...

"The Avatar's coming with me." It was Prince Zuko, and he had Aang's arms pinned behind him.

"No!" Katara started to run forwards, ready to fight him, even if meant leaving the Fire Sage unguarded, but someone stepped out into her path.

"I'm sorry Katara," Sokka said. "But I can't let you do that."

She didn't know what to do. Her brother was standing right there, dressed in Fire Nation red and brown, seemingly unhurt but being forced to help the very Prince who was keeping him captive. She felt wetness on her cheeks, and realised that she must be crying.

"Sokka," she said helplessly. "Sokka, I'm so, so sorry. I should have been able to rescue you by now."

He smiled, and put a comforting hand on her shoulder. He looked like he was about to say something, but at that moment someone grabbed hold of her from behind. Someone big. The dragon's claws closed around her, pinning her arms down, and the sinuous snake-like body wrapped in great curls on the floor, preventing her from running even if she had been able to.

"Sokka!" He was cut off from her, great crimson wings blocking him from view.

"Close those doors," Zuko said. "Quickly. Sokka, help me get the Avatar back to the ship."

"I'm sorry Katara," she heard her brother say, before his footsteps moved away, the sound echoing off the polished floor. She tucked her head in to her chest, trying to hide her sobs. He had been so close, and she had done nothing. That vile creature Zuko still had him.

But then... there were sounds of a struggle, and a strong wind appeared from nowhere. She twisted in the dragon's claws to see Aang leaping overhead, narrowly avoid a pair of snapping jaws, and flying through the great metal doors moments before they clanged shut.

"He made it," she said, hardly daring to believe it. If Roku could tell him about being the Avatar, perhaps even how to master his Avatar powers, then maybe when he came out again he could rescue them, and Sokka too.

It was just a matter of waiting. But now there was a chance they would get out of this alive.

* * *

><p>The door was sealed shut with the Avatar still inside. He was so close to his prize, but it was just out of his grasp. Still, at least the Fire Sages seemed more concerned with the presence of a traitor in their midst than arresting a banished Prince who wasn't where he was supposed to be. Frustrated, he sent one last useless fireblast at the door lock before turning to look at the traitor, being held down by the other dragons. Zuko felt a sharp pang of envy just looking at them, but he quickly suppressed it.<p>

"Why did you help the Avatar?" he asked the yellow-gold dragon, baring his teeth.

_Duty_, said the sinuous curve of neck and spine, the angle of the ears. It had been three long years since the Agni Kai, but Zuko was still a dragon, and his kind spoke through body language and touch of mind to mind. It seemed that for now this traitor was not going to shift back, perhaps still hoping that he could gather the strength to escape. He would do it before the end though – Zuko had heard stories of what Sozin had done to the dragons who betrayed the Fire Nation at the start of the war, taking their skins from them before he killed them. If they hadn't given it up of their own free will, then it flayed off them, and that was not a quick death.

"Yes, I am sure the Fire Lord will take your silence for an answer," someone said behind him. Zuko turned, his heart sinking. He knew that voice.

"Commander Zhao," the head Sage said, bowing. This was not good. He had come too far now to let this man take his prey out from under his very nose. Although, trust Zhao to be completely unaware of dragon-speech. What did he think he was going to do with the dragon-skin he so dearly wanted? He liked the sound of his own voice too much to learn that kind of subtlety.

"And Prince Zuko," Zhao said, nodding to him. "Who's your little friend there?"

Zuko glanced over at Sokka. If he just kept his gaze on the floor... But no. The idiot looked up, showing off those telling Water Tribe blue eyes.

"Oh, you've caught yourself a little seal pup," Zhao said, his tone mocking. "You know, I don't think you've taught him the proper discipline yet. There's too much fire in those eyes for that. Perhaps I should teach you a thing or two..."

"I want nothing from you," Zuko said, angry already even though Zhao had been in the room for less than a minute. There was no-one more able to get under his skin, except possibly his sister. He wondered if the two had ever met. "How did you follow us here?"

"Please, your little smokescreen trick was nothing more than child's play. Besides, you aren't the only one to make use of those creatures. I had a bird following you."

Zuko growled. He didn't like the way Zhao was talking about Sokka. The boy was annoying, yes, but he was _his_, and Zhao had no right...

"You're too late anyway," he said. "The Avatar is inside, and the doors are sealed."

"No matter," Zhao said, smirking. "Sooner or later, he has to come out." He turned to his soldiers. "Tie them up with the Avatar's companions. We are going to wait here for as long as it takes."

* * *

><p>"Hi Suki," Sokka said, trying to be cheerful despite the fact that he was chained to a pillar. "I didn't realise you were travelling with Aang and Katara."<p>

"It's my fault you're in this mess to begin with," Suki said, looking forlorn. "I have to make up for it somehow."

"I'm pretty sure I would still be in this exact same mess if I was with you guys," Sokka said. "I mean, we'd still be prisoners, right."

"I... suppose so..." Suki replied. "What's with that anyway? Even if this Zhao wants the credit for catching Aang, surely he needs all the help he can get. Why chain up Zuko too?"

"Zuko's been banished," Sokka said, wriggling to try and get in a more comfortable position. "Apparently. Who know why. But even if he wasn't, Zhao seems like a total creep anyway. I mean, talking about teaching me the 'proper discipline'..." He shivered. Just the way the man _looked_ at him made him nervous.

"When we were in Haru's village – it was called Wuhan – his Uncle told us about a threat the Fire Nation soldiers would make to any of the shifters who they thought were misbehaving." She hesitated a little, and Sokka had to nod impatiently for her to go on. "They said they would... brand their pelts."

It felt like he had been dunked in polar water without his skin on. That... that was just sick. And now he felt sure he knew what those Earth Kingdom soldiers had been planning on doing to General Iroh. He thought of how he would feel if someone threatened to do that to Katara. No wonder Zuko had looked so angry! How could they call themselves any better than the Fire Nation if they had done something like that? How could any _shifter_ do something like that?

Just then, there was a noise from inside Roku's Sanctuary. Zhao smirked, his amber eyes fixed on the doors. Sokka hoped Aang slapped him in the face with an Airbending slice. He hoped it happened over and over again.

"Ready!" The squad of Firebenders stepped into their stances, preparing to attack.

The doors slid slowly open. Inside nothing could be seen but darkness and a single pair of glowing eyes. "No, Aang!" Katara shouted from the other pillar, trying to warn him.

"Fire!"

The flames engulfed the figure in a whirling ball, but as they began to dissipate, they could see who was standing inside.

"Avatar Roku," Zhao gasped. Sokka had time to see an old man in robes of Fire Nation red before Roku gathered the remaining fire in his hands and pushed it out. It sent Zhao's troops flying and Sokka braced himself for it to hit him, but when it reached them the chains holding them dissolved and they were free. Even Zuko, he saw, looking over at him.

He didn't have a choice, and he knew it. He had to go with Zuko; they had to escape the temple and get back to the steam boat. Even if Roku – who shouldn't even be here, since he was _dead_ and all – killed Zhao and his men, Zhao's ships were still out there, and this was still the Fire Nation. They ran for the stairs as the temple shuddered all around them.

"Faster," Zuko yelled, taking the steps two at a time. "He's going to bring the whole temple down."

He didn't have to say it twice. Sokka ran.

* * *

><p><strong><span>Further AN: **Technically Tui shouldn't be in the Spirit World at all, let alone visiting people and talking in haikus, but it was kind of necessary for narrative reasons. Also Zhao = a massive racist. I actually enjoyed writing that bit because it gave me the chance to expand upon some of the FN propaganda that is being put about. And of course Zhao buys right into that.

I am afraid to say that the next chapter might take a bit longer, as I have exam resits, and only three weeks to revise for them, so my writing time will be limited. So we shall see how that goes. Also, I have a pic of Haru in tiger-deer form, I will post the link to it on my profile.


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